将中国留学生比作“狗狗”？被骂删帖后，美国驻华大使馆道歉了

导读

5日，美国使馆签证处在微博发布“学生签证申请服务已经阶段性恢复”的消息。微博配的视频显示一只小狗从围栏里爬出来，并写道：“你是不是像这只狗狗一样，迫不及待想出去玩耍了呢？”

美国使馆此举让不少中国网友感到不适。许多网友认为这一比喻带有贬义和种族主义色彩。也有网友认为，中美文化对待狗的态度不同。在大多数的中国习语中，“狗”是含贬义的。然而在美国文化中，狗是人类最好的朋友。

另有一些网友指出，虽然存在文化差异，但美国使馆签证处是面向华人的机构。在中国发文，应该先研究中国文化。否则不管是何原因忽视了这种文化差异而造成“误会”，它都负有无可推脱的责任。

目前，美国使馆签证处已删除该条微博。在接受采访时，美国驻华大使馆发言人对此事做出解释，并向被冒犯的人道歉。

The visa office of the US Embassy in China has come under fire on Chinese social media as netizens pointed out its account has compared Chinese student visa applicants to dogs in a controversial post, which some net users said was "pure racism that has hit the lowest of the low."

The post, published by the visa office on Sina Weibo on Wednesday, one day after the US Embassy resumed visa processing for Chinese students, said that "Spring has come and flowers are blossoming. Are you the same as the puppy, eager to go out and play?" before informing students about the visa application resumption.

A video of a dog, struggling to jump over a fence that trapped it in a tiny balcony and trying to reach out, was posted along with the words.

The post soon ignited Chinese netizens' anger as many believed the US Embassy had compared Chinese students to dogs. Those indignant web users called it "blatant racism."

"I am shocked to my very core about the embassy's hitting the lowest of the low. Putting such things in an online post has fully exposed the country's racism," said one Sina Weibo user named toumingjun.

The post was deleted later.

Diplomats with the US Consulate General in Shanghai told a media round table on Friday that although the video practice drew backlash on Chinese social media platforms, the sole purpose was to convey the excitement of the resumption and restart of the student visa service in China, instead of any sense of hostility.

Pauline Kao, head of public affairs of the US Consulate General in Shanghai said that "Our sole intention was to convey that we are welcoming Chinese students back to the US. There was no malice nor any intention to draw any kind of analogy. But unfortunately, this was very much picked up by social media and the netizens as a sense of hostility. It was an unfortunate choice; we took down the video."

She added that "we wanted to generate the positive, upbeat and happy news and we were using our social media platforms [to do so]. We have the specific hashtag Diplopets to use pets, the cats and dogs of our colleagues, to share their hobbies and daily life with the public to strengthen people-to-people exchanges."

Michael Garrote, head of the consular section in the consulate, said that 30 officials were deployed to handle the visa application, and on average, it takes four to five days for the applicant to receive his or her passport back after the interview.

Yet Garrote said that no specific number of visa demand in China can be given, adding policy for students for the so-called sensitive majors (military, science, computer science) has not changed. A fraction of graduate students will be impacted.

There will be no extra vaccination requirements in student visa application, said Garrote.

编辑：商桢

来源：环球时报、中国日报双语新闻、南华早报

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