China dismisses criticism of top diplomat's comments appearing to push for race-based alliance

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday dismissed criticism of racially tinged comments by its top diplomat, who said Europeans and Americans are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.

“No matter how yellow you dye your hair, or how sharp you make your nose, you’ll never turn into a European or American, you’ll never turn into a Westerner," said Wang Yi, a former foreign minister who now heads the ruling Communist Party's foreign affairs commission.

“One needs to know where one’s roots are," Wang said at a trilateral forum in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao on Monday. "China, Japan, Korea — if we can join hands and cooperate, it would not only suit the interests of our three countries, but also the wishes of our peoples and together we can prosper, revitalize East Asia and enrich the world."

Wang’s comments drew immediate condemnation, particularly from scholars online. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin sidestepped a question about the criticism at a briefing Wednesday, saying “we cannot agree with it at all.”