Chinese state-owned media China Daily's EU Bureau Chief Chen Weihua has once again gotten into a very public spat on Twitter, this time with British politician Nigel Farage.
Twitter spat between Farage and Chinese reporter
Farage, who is the leader of the Brexit Party, sent a tweet on Dec. 20 "thanking" China for cancelling Christmas.
Christmas cancelled. Thank you, China.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 19, 2020
In response, Chen told Farage to "wear a mask and stop talking shit".
Wear a mask and stop talking shit.
— Chen Weihua (陈卫华) (@chenweihua) December 20, 2020
Called Farage "Trump's puppet"
Chen also called Farage "Trump's puppet" in a subsequent tweet, and said he was a "big joke in Europe".
Nigel Farage is Trump’s puppet. A big joke in Europe.
— Chen Weihua (陈卫华) (@chenweihua) December 20, 2020
Farage later quoted Chen's response to his tweet, saying that the Chinese Communist Party "should pay reparations for this global disaster".
The Chinese Communist Party don't like the truth and always respond aggressively.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 20, 2020
They should pay the West reparations for this global disaster. https://t.co/7XlaLTY34Z
Chinese state media Global Times published an article slamming Farage for his tweet and criticising the British government for not taking "necessary measures" to stop the pandemic from spreading in the U.K. The article read:
"The British government should take all necessary measures to tackle the virus spread before it is too late.
Nobody likes lockdowns, but they save lives. Is a lockdown worse than Covid-19 that kills?
Perhaps the answer is always 'Yes' to the politicians who care about only their political interests and see ordinary people as roadside grass."
Farage's tweet came shortly after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tough new restrictions across London and much of South-East England.
Residents under Tier 4 restrictions were asked to stay home for Christmas while all non-essential shops were told to shut as the government imposes safety measures to curb the spread of a new, fast-spreading strain of coronavirus in the UK.
Earlier spat with American Senator
Earlier in December, Chen had also found himself in a heated argument with American Senator Marsha Blackburn on Twitter.
Blackburn had criticised China in a tweet, claiming that the country "has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing".
In response, the Chinese reporter called her a "bitch", and added that Blackburn was the "most racist and ignorant U.S. Senator" he had ever seen in a following tweet.
Farage has long been known as a Eurosceptic in the U.K. since the 1990s, and was a leading campaigner for Brexit in 2016.
He later launched the Brexit Party in 2019, whose priority is for Britain to withdraw from the European Union.
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Top image via Gage Skidmore, Chen Weihua/Twitter
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