Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has apologized for a gaffe he made about a watch given to him by British transport minister Baroness Susan Kramer.
The visiting British minister gave the mayor a pocket watch as a gift during their meeting in Taipei on Monday. In Chinese culture, it’s a social taboo to give other people a watch or a clock as the objects are considered an ill omen. The Chinese phrase for “give clock” sounds like “saying farewell to a person who just died”.
When asked by the local media whether he found the gift unacceptable, Ko said the watch is useless to him and that he might sell it to a scrap metal dealer for some money.
Ko came under fire for being blunt and impolite. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the mayor said he would like to apologize to the British dignitary and to the British foreign office. The straightforward mayor also said he will take a class about diplomatic protocol.
Meanwhile, the British transport minister said she will not be offended by humor. In a statement, she said “in the UK, a watch is precious because nothing in more important than time.” The watch came from the House of Lords and is usually only available to members of Britain’s upper parliament. As both leaders have kept their sense of humor about the gift, relations between the two sides have not been affected.