Malaysia’s ‘taiko’ diplomacy in China sparks debate

Storm in a teacup: Hishammuddin’s ‘big brother’ remark when meeting Wang caused a stir in the country. — Photos: Xinhua

AT a recent joint press briefing in Fujian Province with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Wang “is my taiko (big brother)” after he described “Malaysia and China is a family” with broad smiles.

For both phrases, he had spoken in “broken” Mandarin before translating into English himself. And in response, a pleasantly surprised Wang Yi replied promptly in Mandarin “We are brothers”.