Representative Rui

芮代表 (Ruì Dàibiǎo): Representative Rui

Rui at the 2010 G20, telling Obama, “I think I can represent Asia.”

“I represent Asia / I represent the world.” Rui is “wearing clocks” (dài biǎo), a play on “represent” (dàibiǎo).

Nickname for Rui Chenggang, long-time host of the CCTV program Economic News.

At the 2010 G20 summit, hosted in South Korea, Obama invited the Korean press to ask him a final question at the end of a press conference. Instead, Rui Chenggang raised his hand. “I hate to disappoint you President Obama,” he began, “I'm actually Chinese, but I think I get to represent the entire Asia. We’re one family here in this part of the world.”

Rui set the Chinese blogosphere abuzz. Some saw in his comments China’s increasing regional assertiveness, while others heard another example of how the Chinese government presumes to represent the Chinese people without their consent.