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Beijing (AFP) - The publisher of Chinese national carrier Air China's in-flight magazine apologised Thursday for allegedly "racist" travel advice offered to passengers visiting London, as mainland social media users rushed to defend the controversial tips.
The latest issue of "Wings of China" ran an article detailing safety tips for travellers based on the race and nationality of local residents.
"London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," the article said in English translation below a Chinese text, according to a photograph published by CNBC.
"We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling," it added.
The Chinese version was worded slightly differently, stating that such neighbourhoods were "comparatively more chaotic" -- an adjective often used to describe dangerous areas.
The English translation prompted London MP Virendra Sharma, who emigrated from India to Britain in the 1960s, to complain to the Chinese government.
"I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," he said in an online statement.
"I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately," Sharma said.
In a Chinese-language statement Thursday, the publisher attributed the "inappropriate descriptions" to editorial errors, stating that they were at odds with the "original intention to actively promote the beautiful scenery of London".
https://www.yahoo.com/news/british-mp-hits-racist-air-china-london-tips-011816101.html
A number of other news sources are carrying the story, with varying degrees of indignation.
CNBC has coverage including an image of the offending text.
Additional Coverage:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/08/air-chinas-magazine-says-media-readers-misinterpreted-london-travel-advice.html
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/07/air-chinas-safety-tips-for-london-visitors-may-raise-eyebrows.html
(Score: 5, Informative) by Unixnut on Sunday September 18 2016, @09:31AM
I live in London, and I live in one of those areas "Populated with Pakistanis/Muslims and Africans". Guess what, it is a dangerous place, every night you get massive brawls between the Africans and Pakistanis, or within their communities. Usually over drug turf, or a girl, or god knows what. The Indians I have to say, are generally pretty good. Both those who are integrated or not, they generally keep to themselves and work hard. At least the ones I have met.
Barely a week goes by without a stabbing, hell once I was woken up at 3am when a gunfight erupted between some drug dealers and the police who had corned their car down my road. They escaped, but caused a lot of damage to our cars in the process. That was fun trying to claim from the insurance.
It is not the kind of place you want to walk around after dark. Hell sometimes its not the kind of place you want to walk around during the day. On a workday, where all the normal people with jobs are at work, what is left behind is usually the same as you get at night, but admittedly more tame, you might just get mugged or assaulted or abuse hurled at you.
Naive tourists who haven't experienced such cultural enrichment in their hometown may well mistake the place as being just as safe, and go out at and get into trouble. Especially tourists that come from pretty much monoethnic/monocultural societies, could well not be used to the kind of things you have to deal with here.
Saying that, things have improved round my area in the last 10 years. 10 years ago not even the police would patrol here, due to the reception they could receive. On the plus side, you could park wherever you wanted for free, because no traffic warden would ever set foot in the area either.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 18 2016, @04:51PM
Ghetto is violent, news at 11.
Its the same story everywhere in the world, it isn't the race, its the ghetto (and how rich the bordering neighborhoods are [theatlantic.com]).
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday September 19 2016, @03:33AM
A 2008 study found that in São Paulo, where crime rates are relatively high, people tend to put more money into savings (and thus spend less on luxury goods, which can be stolen) than in other cities. So, on some subconscious level, it seems that people have known about this finding all along.
In other words, a negative correlation between conspicuous displays of wealth and crime.