'He's developed an extremely close relationship with the Japanese to advance the alliance and U.S. and China, which have been tense in recent years.Įmanuel has kept close ties with Biden, hosting him privately at the ambassador's residence in Tokyo, and is closely connected with members of Biden's inner circle, a rare direct line for an ambassador.Īll of that suggests that the administration is unlikely to rein in its Japan ambassador. Within China, Emanuel has a reputation as an anti-China ambassador, said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, adding that Beijing believes his position as ambassador to Japan should not afford him a role on relations between the U.S. In Japan, his longstanding West Wing ties are seen as an advantage by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which is eager to tighten bonds with Washington, a senior Japanese official told Reuters. At the start of his time at the Obama White House, he had a name plate on his desk given to him by his brothers that read: 'The Undersecretary for Go Fuck Yourself.' The combative Democrat is known for his use of colorful and sometimes profane language. In 2010, he successfully ran for mayor of Chicago but decided not to seek re-election in 2019 following controversy over his decision not to release footage of the shooting of a Black teen, Laquan McDonald. AMBASSADORĮmanuel, 63, previously served as an aide to former President Bill Clinton and as former President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff, when he was known as an effective enforcer, nicknamed 'Rahmbo.'

government or whether they were his personal opinion. On Friday, the State Department did not have immediate comment on whether Emanuel's tweets on Li reflected the knowledge and understanding of the U.S. Chinese state media has released a video to mock the USs slow response in battling coronavirus and tease them saying that the virus 'is only a flu'. 'There may be some who view his tweets and commentary as a useful foil, but there is no deliberate strategy that I am aware of,' the source said. China mocks US coronavirus response in Lego animation. 'I suspect that some of his public commentary makes the White House pretty uncomfortable, but his relationship with the President makes him effectively untouchable.'

'Rahm is not subject to the rules that other ambassadors and senior officials follow,' the source said. side can stop smearing China and do more things that are conducive to enhancing understanding, trust and cooperation between the two countries,' she said.Ī source familiar with Biden administration dynamics said Emanuel's comments were likely not part of an agreed approach. A Chinese embassy spokesperson said Beijing noted Emanuel's remarks.

China state media mocks us