Former foreign minister Anifah Aman has told incumbent Hishammuddin Hussein to admit his error in making a "big brother" reference to China, instead of compounding the matter by disputing it.

Anifah said the Sembrong MP tried to justify his action by saying that he was referring to China Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he used the term "big brother" as a show of personal respect, and it was not related to bilateral ties.

"In regard to this, simply put, my comment is: Hishammuddin has committed a diplomatic faux pas...