Japanese Ambassador Rahm Emanuel Takes Aim at China: ‘Their Economic …

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has taken his brash, sometimes controversial style to his current role as U.S. ambassador to Japan. His recent critical remarks about Chinese President Xi Jinping have made waves across the Pacific and here in the United States, with Biden administration officials reportedly upset that Emanuel is undermining efforts at diplomacy with the United States’ largest global competitor.

In an exclusive interview with WTTW News, to air in full on Friday, Nov. 24, Emanuel doubled down on the rhetoric, taking aim at Jinping’s stewardship of the contracting Chinese economy.

“You’ve got a third of the youth in China unemployed,” Emanuel said. “There’s (a larger percentage of) unemployed youth in China than on the South Side or the West Side of Chicago, where we have a real challenge.”

Emanuel said China has had economic problems because it is refusing to work together with other nations.

“You have a massive fiscal problem in China, a massive…