An interview clip of a Republican congressman saying that the Chinese should be left alone eating dogs has resurfaced on social media.
In the video from February 2018, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher sat with the Voice of America (VOA) China and offered a message to its audience in time for the Chinese New Year.
“Well, let me just note, coming in is the Year of the Dog,” Rohrabacher started.
“Now, there are some people in the United States who don’t like it that Chinese people eat dog. And I want them, the Chinese people, to know, that we eat bunnies over here, and we eat all kinds of little animals.
“I don’t blame them for eating dog. I mean, if that’s what tastes good, that’s what tastes good.”
Image via Voice of America China
The interviewer’s reaction could be speaking for many.
Image via Voice of America ChinaImage via Voice of America China
Image via Voice of America China
Rohrabacher went on to endorse mutual non-aggression and pointed out that the U.S. likes Chinese people despite the “real threat” that is their government.
“We should make sure that we reach out to the Chinese people so they understand us, and we understand them. And we don’t attack their ways, they don’t attack our ways. But in fact, I believe that the Chinese people are America’s and the world’s greatest allies in seeking a peaceful world. Because they don’t want to live under tyranny and they want to live prosperous lives.
“So let them know in China that many people like myself—we don’t like their government, and we think the Chinese government is a real threat to the future of peace in the world—but the Chinese people, we can all be friends and work together for a much better world in the years ahead.”
Image via Voice of America China
The interview emerges as Rohrabacher faces Democrat Harley Rouda in a re-election battle for California’s 48th Congressional District.
Nonetheless, the congressman has since expressed his views on the matter, declining to co-sponsor a resolution that condemned the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and dog meat trade in China.
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