China lodges representations with Canadian Embassy over customized 'Wuhan Bat' shirt

BEIJING -- China has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian Embassy in China over the customization of malicious cultural shirt by its staff, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday.

A Chinese shop manager who is engaged in the customization of cultural shirts recently made a real-name reporting through WeChat, saying a member of the staff of the Canadian Embassy in China customized shirts with the "Wuhan Bat" pattern in July last year.

"The Chinese side is shocked by this and has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian Embassy in China, demanding that the Canadian side immediately investigate the matter thoroughly and give China a clear account," Wang said at a press briefing.

Calling the novel coronavirus the common enemy of mankind, Wang said that the World Health Organization and the international community clearly oppose the practice of associating the virus with any specific country or region and oppose stigmatization.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian Minister of Health Patty Hajdu have also made similar statements many times, Wang added.

Diplomatic and consular personnel of any country stationed abroad should act strictly according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and laws and regulations of the country where they are stationed.

"As a diplomat of the Canadian Embassy in China, the person involved has acted inconsistently with his or her status and deviated from the consistent position of the Canadian government," Wang said.