Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner thinks Chinese people talk funny. That, or she's got a poor taste in humor made worse by bad timing.
The embattled South American leader, on a state trip in China this week, tweeted a joke on Wednesday -- now inexplicably pinned to the top of her profile -- that pokes fun at Chinese people's accents.
Its brand of comedy will be familiar to fans of Team America: World Police and Kim Jong-il's wistful song about being all alone, "I'm So Ronely."
It reads: "More than 1000 people attending the event, are they all from 'La Cámpola' and did they just come for the lice and petloleum?"
Más de 1.000 asistentes al evento… ¿Serán todos de “La Cámpola” y vinieron sólo por el aloz y el petlóleo? …— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) February 4, 2015
Yes, she misspelled rice and petroleum as "lice" and "petloleum," because she believes the Chinese have trouble pronouncing their R's. And presumably La Cámpora, the name of a pro-Kirchner political organization in Argentina, for the same reason.
Later, she half-apologized for the joke, though mostly blamed the uproar on people who didn't appreciate the humor. "Sorry. You know what?" she said. "The excess and the ridicule is so much that you can only digest it with humor. Otherwise they are very, very toxic."
Sorry. ¿Sabes qué? Es que es tanto el exceso del ridículo y el absurdo, que sólo se digiere con humor. Sino son muy, pero muy tóxicos.— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) February 4, 2015
China has pledged $250 billion in investments in Latin America over the next five years as part of a drive to boost Beijing's influence in the region.
Kirchner met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday and the two countries signed 15 agreements covering travel visas, information technology, media, energy, space technology and financing.
There was no reported discussion of the offensive tweet.
But in an indication of China's importance to Argentina, Kirchner told her Chinese host she was visiting Beijing against medical advice for a foot injury. "I came out of my desire to be here with you, with our partners who are coming to sign agreements," Kirchner said.
If the Argentinian president isn't careful with her Twitter jokes, though, it'll be more than her foot that is hurting.