--- title: "Beijing Urges White House Press Secretary to Visit China More Often After 'Normal Bathrooms' Remark" description: "Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded to Katie Zaharia's remark that China has \"no normal bathrooms\" by urging her to visit the country more often. The statement came amid a rough debut for the new White House press secretary." date: 2026-10-16T20:48:47.385Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/beijing-urges-white-house-press-secretary-to-visit-china tags: [china-us-relations, white-house, diplomacy, press-secretary, katie-zakaria] author: "Andrey Kosynko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Beijing Urges White House Press Secretary to Visit China More Often After 'Normal Bathrooms' Remark ![White House Press Secretary Katie Zaharia in a light blue dress in front of a screen showing the Capitol.](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/pekin-otvet-na-kommentari-zakarii-o-kitaye/pekin-otvet-na-kommentari-zakarii-o-kitaye-1.webp) ## Key Points - Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning ironically responded on October 16 to Katie Zaharia's "normal bathrooms" remark, urging her to visit the PRC more often. - The remark was made in an October 15 interview where Zaharia recalled living in China from 2011 to 2016. - The statement coincided with Zaharia's rough debut: on October 13 at her first press conference, she appeared flustered and mistakenly called her husband "my president". On October 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning publicly responded to remarks by new White House Press Secretary Katie Zaharia, who recently stated in an interview that the People's Republic of China has "no normal bathrooms." According to the Straits Times, Mao Ning answered these comments with a touch of irony during a briefing, stating that he would be glad "if she visited China more often, should she have the opportunity." Thus, Beijing turned a personal observation by an American official into an occasion for a mild yet noticeable diplomatic remark. ### Context: The October 15 Interview and the 'Rising Power' Joke Zaharia made the remark herself in an October 15 interview while sharing impressions of living in China, where she moved in 2011. According to her, upon returning to the United States in 2016, she heard predictions that Hillary Clinton would win the election and that China would become "the next rising power." "I had just come back from China and thought: how can China be the next rising power if they don't even have normal bathrooms," Zaharia recounted. The phrase quickly moved beyond a personal anecdote and was picked up by Chinese state media and the diplomatic department. ### A Rough White House Debut The comments about restrooms came just days after Zaharia's official debut as press secretary, which several outlets reported did not go smoothly. At her first White House press conference on October 13, she appeared flustered several times and frequently looked down at notes to read her answers. At one point, Zaharia mistakenly referred to her husband as "my president," which became one of the most discussed details of that meeting and intensified press scrutiny of her work. ### Questions Regarding Professional Status In addition to difficulties during her first briefings, the new press secretary faced criticism for previously presenting herself as an attorney despite lacking an active license. Zaharia later explained that after graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011, she applied to take the California bar exam but never took it because she was "distracted" by plans to move to China with her husband. This explanation did not put all questions about her professional background to rest. ### Change in Office and Diplomatic Background Katie Zaharia assumed the position of White House Press Secretary succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left the post in late August following the birth of her second child. Thus, her first weeks in office coincided with a period of adaptation and heightened media attention. Beijing's reaction to her comments about China became yet another element of public dialogue between the two capitals, unfolding in October 2026 against the backdrop of preparations for upcoming high-level U.S.-China contacts. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Министерство иностранных дел Китая прокомментировало заявления пресс-секретаря Белого дома.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/bo-ngoai-giao-trung-quoc-len-tieng-ve-phat-ngon-cua-thu-ky-bao-chi-nha-trang) - Primary source basis: contains Mao Ning's statement from October 16, a quote from Zaharia's October 15 interview, details of the October 13 debut, and the bar license issue. - [Пекин призвал Сеул строго следовать принципу «одного Китая» после инцидента на биеннале](https://svpressa.ru/politic/news/530567/) - Pertains to PRC-Republic of Korea relations under the 'One China' principle; unrelated to Zaharia's statement, used only as general diplomatic context. - [Министры иностранных дел Китая и Ирана провели переговоры в преддверии американо-китайского ...](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ru/news/20260917de50710/) - Describes PRC-Iran negotiations and preparations for the U.S.-China summit at the end of the month; confirms only the general background of preparations for U.S.-China contacts. ## FAQ ### What exactly did the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson say in response to Katie Zaharia's remarks? According to the Straits Times, on October 16 Mao Ning stated that he would be glad if Zaharia visited China more often, "should she have the opportunity." ### When and in what context did Zaharia mention 'normal bathrooms'? In an October 15 interview discussing her life in China from 2011 to 2016 and predictions about a "rising power," she said she thought: how can China become a rising power if they "don't even have normal bathrooms." ### Whom did Zaharia succeed as White House press secretary? Karoline Leavitt, who left the post in late August after the birth of her second child.