Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Naina Merican did not follow protocol when he called up ambassador of China, Huang Huikang for a meeting.

Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said should Huang was to be called by Wisma Putra, it must first be by the foreign minister of Malaysia after having consulted the prime minister.

Nazri added that in their absence, the capacity of acting foreign minister then falls to Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin.

"Now both the prime minister (Najib Abdul Razak) and foreign minister (Anifah Aman) are overseas, so the acting foreign minister is Hamzah (Zainuddin)," he told Malaysiakini .

Nazri said a conversation he had with Hamzah yesterday revealed that the latter did not receive instructions from both the foreign minister or the prime minister to summon Huang.

"The deputy minister cannot call the ambassador because the acting minister is Hamzah.

"That's why when I confirmed with him (Hamzah) that he hasn't received instructions from both the foreign minister or the prime minister (to summon Huang) that I concluded that there's no necessity for the ambassador to see Wisma Putra," he said.

Deputy does not represent minister

Nazri is, however, unsure whether Reezal had made a mistake since he was new, having taken over the post effective July 28 after the country's latest cabinet reshuffle.

"I don't know. (But) in our system, the deputy minister does not represent the minister.

"It must be another minister and it so happens that the acting foreign minister is Hamzah," he said.

Wisma Putra has reportedly cancelled its summon to Huang after the summon was allegedly vetoed by Hamzah.

Chinese dailies reported that the summon, issued by Reezal ( photo ), was overturned by Hamzah.

Hamzah was deputy foreign minister until July's cabinet reshuffle, in which he was appointed domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism minister.

Huang was caught in the diplomatic flap after he said that while China does not intervene in domestic affairs, it will not sit idly if it affects its local interests.

Meanwhile, Nazri confirmed that "everything has been put to a stop" with regard to Wisma Putra's call for a meeting with Huang.

"Yes, it has stopped. China is a very important country to us.

"The ambassador has explained to me; that he went to Petaling Street to show to the Chinese tourists that this country is stable and safe and that there is no such thing as anti-Chinese sentiment here.

"That's why he went there, so he was doing us a favour," he said.

The minister also believes that it was not necessary for Huang to apologise for his actions.

"There is no necessity. The ambassador does not need to apologise, he has not done anything wrong," Nazri stressed.

Huang on Friday handed mooncakes to Petaling Street traders in conjunction with the mid-autumn festival.

However, his statement that the Chinese government is against racial discrimination and extremism, which appeared to be a subtle reference to the racially motivated protest at Petaling Street led by government-linked figures, surprised Putrajaya.

Several Umno leaders as well as Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia had also slammed Huang for "interfering" with the country's affairs, asking him to apologise over the matter and urging Wisma Putra to take stern action against him.

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