"Do You Know Who I Am?"... Secretary-General of China Acts Brazenly After Blocking the Road

Former Senior Official Appointed APSCO Secretary-General
Issues Apology After Controversy Arises

A video showing a driver of an illegal vehicle in Beijing abusing diplomatic immunity has caused a stir. The driver is the Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) and a former high-ranking Chinese official.

[Image source=Ex]

On the 22nd, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) and China's Hongxing News reported on an incident involving an official vehicle with a diplomatic license plate illegally parked. Secretary-General Yu Chi (58) parked the official vehicle on the road on the 16th with her husband and pet dog inside and refused to move the vehicle.

Civilians who experienced traffic congestion caused by her vehicle parked for several minutes on a two-lane road protested, but she refused to move. She even cursed at the police, saying, "Do you know what an embassy vehicle is? Do you know what diplomatic immunity is?"

Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin pointed out on Weibo, "It seems they do not understand that embassy vehicles must also obey traffic laws," adding, "Even embassy vehicles with national flags cannot park on roads or occupy public passageways."

The police confirmed that the vehicle was registered under APSCO and fined Secretary-General Yu. They also found that the pet dog in the vehicle was not properly registered and plan to take action.

Following the controversy, Secretary-General Yu issued an apology, stating, "My wrongdoing has caused very negative social impacts, and the public has sincerely criticized me. I deeply reflect on my actions and sincerely apologize to everyone."

APSCO is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Beijing that promotes multilateral cooperation in space technology and applications in the Asia-Pacific region. Its member countries are China, Bangladesh, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, and Turkey, totaling eight.

Secretary-General Yu holds a doctorate from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has served as Director-General of the Remote Sensing Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Defense Science and Technology Industry Office, and Deputy Director of the Systems Engineering Department at the Space Administration. She assumed office as APSCO Secretary-General for a five-year term in November 2020.