Outcry over Air China's 'racist' guide to London
Inflight magazine warns that 'precautions' are needed in ethnic minority areas

A Chinese airline is facing criticism after its inflight magazine warned visitors about ethnic minority areas in London.
In the current edition of Wings of China, Air China passengers are told: "London is generally a safe place to travel, [sic] however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people."
The feature continues: "We advise tourists not to go out alone at night and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The warning came to widespread attention when a Chinese passenger, Haze Fan, tweeted a picture of it to London Mayor Sadiq Khan. She said her Londoner fiancé felt the description was "rather insulting".
Politicians are calling for an apology and for the passage to be deleted. Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, which has one of the largest Indian and Pakistani populations in the capital, said: "I think that it is offensive to Londoners and I would like to see it removed."
Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing Southall, where 39 per cent of the population is Asian, wrote to Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, 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."
Lambeth and Southwark London assembly member Florence Eshalomi said "you couldn't make up" the "outdated and near-on racist views" the magazine expressed.
The London Evening Standard says Air China failed to respond to requests for comment.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK