A Chinese airline has come under fire after reportedly warning passengers to exercise caution when visiting areas of London "mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people".

The advice in Air China's inflight magazine came to light after Beijing-based journalist Haze Fan posted a picture of the article on Twitter.

Social media users were quick to pick up on the article, which has been described as "ignorant" and "blatantly racist".

In a feature on visiting the capital, the airline urges travellers to be wary and take precautions when entering high ethnic minority areas in the capital.

The excerpt read: "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.

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"We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling."

Ms Fan, a news and documentary producer for US channel CNBC, tweeted the picture and linked in London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose late father was an immigrant from Pakistan, asking for his opinion.

Writing for CNBC, she said: "Even for China, where companies have struggled with race issues in their marketing previously, the latest inflight magazine from the country's flagship airline will likely come as a shocker."

Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, said he had raised the issue with the Chinese ambassador to the UK to demand an apology from the airline.

"I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," he said.

"I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately.

"I have invited representatives of Air China to visit my constituency of Ealing Southall to see that a very multi-cultural area is safe, and would be of great value for those visiting London to see.

"I will await their response, and if an appropriate one is not forthcoming I shall feel forced to question whether Air China is a fit company to operate in the UK."

Lambeth and Southwark London assembly member Florence Eshalomi tweeted to say she was disappointed by the piece.

Air China is the country's flagship carrier, with 98 international routes and two flights per day from Beijing to London Heathrow.

The article was published in its monthly Wings Of China magazine.

Figures from VisitBritain show the number of trips to the UK from China rose by 46% last year to 270,000.

The airline has not commented on the article.</s>China’s flagship carrier airline Air China has warned readers of its in-flight magazine to take “precautions” when visiting areas of London largely populated by “Indians, Pakistanis and black people”.

The main article in the Wings of China in-flight magazine hails Britons’ fondness for hats, before a sidebar offers tips for visiting the English capital, with the paragraph: “London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.”

The article also warns: “We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.”

Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing, Southall, which has a large Indian population, complained of Air China’s “blatantly untrue and racist statements ” .

“I have invited representatives of Air China to visit my constituency of Ealing, Southall to see that a very multi-cultural area is safe, and would be of great value for those visiting London to see,” he said on his blog.

“I will await their response, and if an appropriate one is not forthcoming I shall feel forced to question whether Air China is a fit company to operate in the UK,” Mr Sharma said.

China is the world’s largest outbound travel market - with some 120 million people travelling overseas in 2015, and Air China operates two flights per day from Beijing to London Heathrow.

Irish tourism authorities have been keen to build on the UK’s tourist campaigns. Under the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS), Chinese visitors can use a single-visit visa to visit both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, as neither is part of the Schengen Agreement.

There have been several examples of racist ads or commentaries in the Chinese media in recent months.

In June, a racist detergent advertisement in which a black workman was “washed white” and transformed into a Chinese man by a Chinese homemaker caused an international stir.

The Global Times newspaper, which is published by the same group that publishes the People’s Daily, the official organ of the ruling Communist Party, responded to the row by saying racism had only become a problem in China since the country started to open up to the West.

In July, an editorial in the Global Times urged African-Americans “to learn from other races, including Asian-Americans” on how to deal with racism by working hard and earning respect for their “educational and occupational achievements”.

At the G20 meeting last week in Hangzhou, British prime minister Theresa May hailed the “Golden Era” of Sino-British relations.

London is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, the number of trips to Britain from China rose by 46 per cent last year to 270,000 according to the agency VisitBritain.</s>LONDON — Air China has come under fire in Britain for an article in its in-flight magazine that tells visitors to take precautions in areas of London with large ethnic-minority populations.

Haze Fan, a producer at CNBC, tweeted a photo of part of the bilingual Mandarin-English article from the Wings of China magazine. It said in English that “London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.”

Labour Party lawmaker Vivendra Sharma, who represents a diverse London district, said Wednesday that he had written to China’s ambassador to Britain, demanding an apology for the “blatantly untrue and racist statements.”

Air China, which flies twice daily between Beijing and London, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.</s>China says it opposes all discrimination after Air China London warning

SHANGHAI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it opposes all racial discrimination after state-owned Air China withdrew an in-flight magazine that warned visitors to be careful in parts of London populated by members of ethnic minorities.

China prides itself as a new global superpower but occasional high-profile examples of prejudice towards foreigners, or people from minority groups, illustrate lingering biased attitudes in some quarters.

"Precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," the state-owned airline's Wings of China magazine said in an article offering advice to visitors to London, according to a photo of the text seen by Reuters.

The advice, in its September edition, triggered an online uproar.

Air China responded by saying it had removed all copies of the magazine from its aircraft and it had asked the publisher to "learn the lesson and avoid similar problems" in future.

Publications on its flights did not represent its views, the airline said in a statement.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing she had noted the flag carrier had made an "initial response" to the article.

"We hope that through its investigation Air China can appropriately handle the relevant issue," Hua said.

"We consistently advocate for and support the equality of all ethnicities without exception and oppose all forms of racial discrimination."

The publisher apologised for hurting Air China with the "inappropriate wording", according to a statement emailed to Reuters by Air China.

The article also drew criticism in Britain.

Member of parliament Virendra Sharma called the magazine "offensive" and asked in a post on twitter that the airline to remove the magazine and apologise.

Sharma represents London's Ealing Southall area, dubbed "Little India", where more than one-third of residents are of Asian origin.

The magazine's advice is the latest example of material published in China deemed insensitive and sparking uproar.

In May, a detergent maker apologised after airing a television advertisement showing a black man being shoved into a washing machine and coming out a fair-skinned Asian.

Public discussion of discrimination is unusual in China, which is dominated by the ethnic Han majority but is home to numerous minority groups as well as a growing influx of foreigners.

Nearly 270,000 people from China visited Britain last year and Air China did get some sympathy.

"Air China is not wrong. You really should take the company's advice for safety concerns. No need to care if it's politically correct," one netizen wrote on the Weibo social media site. (Reporting by Jackie Cai in SHANGHAI, addtional reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by John Ruwitch, Robert Birsel)</s>MPs have urged China’s UK ambassador to intervene in a row over racist comments reportedly issued by a Chinese airline about ethnic minority areas of London.

An image of text from an inflight Air China magazine posted on social media prompted outrage after it warned passengers that “precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people”.

The text, tweeted by Beijing-based producer Haze Fan of US news channel CNBC, added: “We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.”

Two MPs have urged Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK, to secure an apology to their London constituents. 



Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall where 39% of the population is Asian, wrote to Liu to complain about “blatant racism” from the airline.

He said: “I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements.

“I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately.

“I have invited representatives of Air China to visit my constituency of Ealing Southall to see that a very multicultural area is safe, and would be of great value for those visiting London to see.

“I will await their response, and if an appropriate one is not forthcoming I shall feel forced to question whether Air China is a fit company to operate in the UK.”

Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, which has one of the largest south Asian populations in London, said: “I think it is offensive to all Londoners, not just the ethnic minorities mentioned.”

Speaking to the Evening Standard she said: “I am going to be writing to the Chinese ambassador to invite him to visit Tooting in London, where all races live side by side. Then they can see how we live and our wonderfully diverse community.”

In her tweet, Fan asked what London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, thought about the comments. A spokesman for Khan said the mayor’s office was drafting a statement.

Lambeth and Southwark London assembly member Florence Eshalomi also invited Liu to her constituency. She said this would show him “what an international city London is”. She told the Guardian: “London is a safe city with a lot to offer visitors from across the world. Air China is doing a disservice to its passengers.”

The article was published in Air China’s monthly Wings of China magazine.

The airline is the country’s flag carrier and has two flights a day from Beijing to Heathrow. It operates a total of 98 international routes.

Figures from VisitBritain show the number of trips to the UK from China rose by 46% last year to 270,000. Total expenditure from these visits was estimated at £586m and the average length of stay was 15 nights.</s>BEIJING (AP) — Chinese flag-carrier Air China said Thursday that it had removed copies of its inflight magazine containing an article criticized as racist for telling visitors to take precautions when visiting areas of London with large ethnic-minority populations.

The state-owned airline said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the September issue of "Wings of China" used "inappropriate" language and that the article didn't represent the airline's views.

"After discovering this problem, Air China immediately removed this magazine from all flights and demanded that the publishers of 'Wings of China' seriously learn from this lesson, strengthen their content review and avoid making similar mistakes," the airline said.

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2013 file photo, an Air China's Boeing 777 jet, top, taxis to a gate after landing at Beijing International Airport in Beijing, China. Air China said Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, that it had removed copies of its inflight magazine containing an article telling visitors to take precautions when visiting areas of London with large ethnic-minority populations. The state-owned airline, China's flag carrier, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the September issue of "Wings of China" used "inappropriate" language and that the article didn't represent the airline's views. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan, File)

It also forwarded an email from the magazine's publisher apologizing to Air China and saying the fault lay with an "editing mistake."

The original article in English read: "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people." It also advised tourists not to go out alone at night, and for women not to travel alone.

British lawmaker Vivendra Sharma, who represents a diverse London district, said Wednesday that he had written to China's ambassador to Britain to demand an apology for the "blatantly untrue and racist statements."

In the apology to Air China, China Aviation Media Co. Ltd. said the article ran "counter to our original intention to promote the beautiful scenes of London."

"It has brought about misunderstanding from some media outlets and readers and also a huge negative impact on your company's business operations and image. We deeply apologize for that," its statement read.

It's not the first time Chinese businesses have been criticized for being tone-deaf over issues of race and ethnicity.

Earlier this year, a Chinese laundry detergent maker apologized "for the harm caused to the African people" over its TV advertisement that showed a black man being stuffed into a washing machine and coming out a fair-skinned Asian man.

Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics Ltd. Co. said it strongly condemned racial discrimination but blamed foreign media for playing up the controversy.

The examples highlight how companies and much of the population in China remain somewhat oblivious to racial sensitivities, partly a result of China's overwhelming ethnic homogeneity and a relative lack of contact with foreigners until recent years that has allowed stereotypes to persist.

Asked about the magazine's London travel advice, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying responded that the government only issues tourist alerts to people "travelling to high risk areas like war zones."

The Chinese government "resolutely opposes all forms of racial discrimination," she said.</s>A Chinese airline today caused outrage after an inflight magazine told passengers to the UK to avoid ethnic minority areas in London.

A passage in the current edition of Wings of China, the publication distributed on Air China, Asia’s third largest airline, warns “London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.

“We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.”

The phrase is repeated in both Mandarin and English in the magazine’s feature on the capital.

The "racist" article shocked one Chinese journalist, Haze Fan, on a flight in China so much she tweeted a picture of it to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asking him what he thought.

She said her Londoner fiancée “felt its rather insulting”.

Now politicians are demanding an apology and that the phrase is removed from the publication by the airline, which flies twice daily between London and Beijing.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, which has one of the largest Indian and Pakistani populations in London, said: “My initial thoughts were that the comments were outrageous.

“I think that it is offensive to Londoners and I would like to see it removed. I would also like to ask the airline why they thought these precautions needed to be taken.

“Why they feel they needed to warn people of something that is not reflective of London at all?

“I think it is offensive to all Londoners, not just the ethnic minorities mentioned.

“We pride ourselves on having a wonderfully diverse community, and this may mean people come here with a different idea, it is worrying that some may arrive concerned.

“I am going to be writing to the Chinese Ambassador to invite him to visit Tooting in London, where all races live side by side. Then they can see how we live and our wonderfully diverse community.”

Lambeth and Southwark London assembly member Florence Eshalomi told the Standard that “you couldn’t make up these outdated and near-on racist views”.

She said: “I keep thinking, is this 2016?

“We want people who embrace our diversity and different culture - that is the make-up of London.

“If airlines have a problem with that then we don’t want them in London.

“We would love to offer Chinese tourists a tour of areas like Peckham, Brixton and Newham where they would be welcomed with open arms by our diverse communities.”

A spokesman from civil rights campign group Hope Not Hate spokesman said: “If true, these comments are crassly ill-informed and offensive, and simply peddle to outrageous stereotypes.

“It beggars belief to understand how they could have been written in the first place.

“They should be removed immediately. Londoners deserve an apology.”

Air China declined to respond to request for a comment.</s>Air China says it has removed all copies of an in-flight magazine that's been slammed for "blatant racism" about ethnic minorities in London.

A travel tip at the end of the magazine's latest cover story advised London visitors about going to neighborhoods with large populations of "Indians, Pakistanis and black people." The warning set off a storm of protest and prompted a British lawmaker to demand an apology from China's flag carrier.

"London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," said the passage, which was spotted by a CNBC journalist. "We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when traveling."

The warning appeared in the September issue of the airline's "Wings of China" magazine as part of a promotional feature about the British capital.

"I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," said Virendra Sharma, the member of parliament for an ethnically diverse district in western London. He said Wednesday he had written to the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. to demand an apology from the state-owned airline.

On Thursday, Air China (AIRYY) pinned the blame for the "inappropriate expressions" on a sister firm, Air China Media, which shares a parent company with the airline and publishes its in-flight magazine. The airline said it had "asked the publisher to draw a serious lesson from the episode and strengthen its content review to avoid similar problems from arising again."

Air China Media said in a letter addressed to the airline that the upsetting language was "entirely due to an editing error and in no way reflected the magazine's views."

"This has caused great negative impact on the operations and brand image of your airline, for which we sincerely apologize," Air China Media said, adding that it also hoped to "sincerely apologize to all travelers and readers who were offended by the article."

Air China Media also claimed it had published the story "in cooperation with the tourism board for Great Britain." But VisitBritain, the country's official tourist board, said it had not been consulted and did not have "sight of the text of this article at any stage."

An earlier apology was posted on Air China's North American Twitter account Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. But the tweet was deleted hours later without explanation.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that it hoped Air China would "properly handle the situation after its investigation."

"I want to emphasize the position of the Chinese government," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing. "We always hold that all races are equal and firmly oppose all forms of racial discrimination."

The controversy is the latest case of marketing linked to China coming under fire for racism.

A Chinese company provoked widespread outrage earlier this year with a laundry detergent ad that depicted a black man being thrown into a washing machine and then emerging as a light-skinned Chinese man.

There was also considerable criticism online after the Chinese posters for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" seemed to downplay black actor and co-lead John Boyega.</s>An edition of a Chinese airline's inflight magazine which warned passengers that "precautions are needed" when entering ethnic minority areas of London will be withdrawn, its publisher said.

The advice was included in a feature on visiting London in Wings of China, a publication distributed on board Air China flights.

A statement from the in-house Wings of China Office, obtained and translated by US news channel CNBC, whose Beijing-based producer first reported the controversial excerpt, read: "The inappropriate expressions in the article are merely the mistakes made by the editors, but in no means represent the views of the magazine.

"We will immediately withdraw all the publications, carefully learn this lesson, improve our management to make sure there will be no more similar mistakes. We also would love to send sincere apologies via Air China to all the readers and passengers who felt uncomfortable because of this."

The magazine article stated: "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.

"We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling."

Virendra Sharma , Labour MP for Ealing Southall, said on Wednesday that he has written to the Chinese ambassador to the UK demanding an apology for what he described as blatant racism .

He said: "I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements.

"I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately.

"I have invited representatives of Air China to visit my constituency of Ealing Southall to see that a very multi-cultural area is safe, and would be of great value for those visiting London to see.

"I will await their response, and if an appropriate one is not forthcoming I shall feel forced to question whether Air China is a fit company to operate in the UK."

Air China is the country's flag carrier and has two flights per day from Beijing to London Heathrow.

The late father of London Mayor Sadiq Khan was an immigrant from Pakistan.

Figures from VisitBritain show the number of trips to the UK from China rose by 46% last year to 270,000.

Total expenditure from these visits was estimated at £586 million and the average length of stay was 15 nights.</s>LONDON: A British MP has slammed Air China for alleged “racist” travel advice offered to clients visiting London.

The airline’s “Wings of China” magazine reportedly provides safety advice to travellers based on the race and nationality of local residents.

“London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people,” the magazine says, according to a photograph published by CNBC.

“We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling,” the magazine adds.

The description prompted London MP Virendra Sharma, who emigrated from India to the UK in the 1960s, to complain to the Chinese government.

“I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements,” he said in an online statement.

“I have raised this issue with the Chinese ambassador, and requested that he ensures an apology is swiftly forthcoming from Air China, and the magazine is removed from circulation immediately,” Sharma said.

Neither Air China nor the Chinese embassy were immediately available to comment on the report, which comes during a period of tension between Beijing and London.

British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to London this week from the G20 summit hosted by China, where she defended her decision to delay giving the go-ahead to a nuclear power project in which Beijing has substantial investment.

China has a one-third stake in the plan to build Britain’s first nuclear plant in decades at Hinkley Point in southwest England, along with French company EDF.

May unexpectedly delayed the project in July after EDF gave it a green light, saying on Sunday she would make a decision this month.

China’s ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, warned last month relations were at a “crucial historical juncture” between the two countries. AFP
Air China receives criticism in the United Kingdom after it releases an advertisement warning passengers from visiting areas of London populated by blacks, Indians and Pakistanis.