The diplomatic flap surrounding China ambassador Huang Huikang, which erupted following his controversial visit to Petaling Street on the eve of an aborted anti-Chinese rally, has turned into a rather complicated issue.

In his visit last Friday, Huang told Malaysian media that China was against all forms of terrorism, racism and extremism.

This immediately became a diplomatic issue the day after when the Foreign Ministry summoned Huang to give an explanation over his statements.

"During the visit, he (Huang) was interviewed by the media and subsequent media statements resulting from that interview have attracted attention and caused concern to the Malaysian public.

"The ministry hopes that this meeting will help clear the matter," read the statement penned last Saturday by the ministry.

There were much confusion in the last four days, as to who had sanctioned to summon Huang, whether the summon has been cancelled or Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican ( photo ) had breached protocol.

This was especially so when Anifah Aman, the foreign minister, who has the authority to do so, was abroad to attend the UN general assembly in New York, while Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin was appointed as the acting foreign minister.

Prior to this, both Umno's mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia and Umno Youth exco member Arman Azha Abu lashed out at Huang for meddling into domestic politics.

Arman called Huang a rude Chinese for his interference, while Utusan urged the envoy to apologise or leave Malaysia.

"It would be better if the ambassador gives more focus to the issue of large numbers of Chinese nationals in the prostitution and massage industry in (Malaysia) as the Chinese government is more stern in dealing with such matters in their own country," wrote Utusan in its opinion piece under the collective pen name Awang Selamat.

Nazri criticised Reezal for 'foolish' decision

Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz met Huang through a meeting arranged by some Chinese businessmen, and discussed the matter for more than an hour, it was reported.

On Monday morning, Nazri ( photo ) told Malaysiakini that Reezal had breached protocol for summoning the envoy.

Nazri made the conclusion after he spoke with Hamzah, who denied he had made the decision to summon Huang.

Nazri had criticised Reezal for making a "foolish" decision and said he would brief Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on this matter.

This however did not put the matter to rest as Reezal denied yesterday that he had made the call to summon Huang.

Meanwhile, Huang, who claimed he only learnt that Wisma Putra called him for a meeting through the newspapers , was spotted appearing at Hamzah's office yesterday.

There was further confusion on the matter when Huang denied that Wisma Putra had called him in, as reported by Sin Chew Daily yesterday.

The Chinese daily also reported that Huang and Hamzah did not talk about Petaling Street during their meet.

Hamzah, who was a deputy foreign minister, has yet to break his silence on the matter.

China has defended Huang's action and claimed it did “not interfere in other countries’ domestic politics nor intervene in other countries’ internal affairs”.

Its foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said Huang was visiting the Chinese community during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that fell on Sunday, adding that it was a “normal” activity.

Last night, Anifah ( photo ) issued a statement from New York to confirm he had asked the envoy to explain his remarks, and this was done after discussion with the prime minister.

However, Anifah regretted that a couple of ministers had butted into the matter without consulting him.

Nazri today admitted he made a mistake , but emphasised that he did not mean to meddle in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry.

Reezal, who attended the Sept 16 rally organised by National Silat Federation (Pesaka), lashed out at those who accused him of breaching protocol.

Despite the dramatic development, the diplomatic flap is far from over, as Huang has yet to give his explanation to Wisma Putra regarding his speech at Petaling Street.

Meanwhile, Najib and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have yet to make a stand on the issue.

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