UK foreign secretary accidentally referred to Chinese wife as Japanese

Jeremy
Hunt and his wife Lucia attend a garden party at Buckingham
Palace on May 19, 2016 in London, England.
Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty
Images

• British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt made an awkward
  faux pas during his first trip to China when he accidentally
  referred to his wife Lucia Guo, who is Chinese, as
  Japanese. 
• During his first official visit to China since
  taking over from Boris Johnson, he told a room full of
  officials that his wife was Japanese, before quickly
  acknowledging the mistake. 
• Hunt is currently in China seeking stronger ties
  between Britain and China ahead of Britain’s impending exit
  from the EU next year. 

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt made an awkward faux pas
during his first trip to China when he accidentally referred to
his wife Lucia Guo, who is Chinese, as Japanese. 

During his first official visit to China since taking
over
after Boris Johnson resigned from government earlier this
month, Hunt sought to earn the favor of his Chinese counterparts
by talking about his Chinese-born wife. 

“My wife is Japanese,” he said to a room full of officials,
before quickly acknowledging his mistake. “My wife is Chinese.
That’s a terrible mistake to make,” he said. 

 “My wife is Chinese and my children are half-Chinese
and so we have Chinese grandparents who live in Xian and strong
family connections in China,” he added.

China and Japan have a long history of rivalry, though
relations between the Asian neighbors have improved.

Hunt, who formerly served as health secretary, married his
wife in 2009 and has three children. He is currently in China
seeking stronger ties between Britain and China ahead of
Britain’s impending exit from the EU next year.