A Beijing woman has apologised and been fined after she insisted that diplomatic immunity allowed her to park in the middle of a road and block traffic.
In a video circulated online, the woman, who was later identified as Yu Qi, secretary general of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO), refused to move her vehicle.
"Do you know what an embassy car is? Do you understand what diplomatic immunity is? Get lost!" she said through the vehicle's window.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
APSCO is an inter-governmental organisation based in Beijing that promotes multilateral cooperation in space technology and applications in the Asia-Pacific region. There are eight member states - China, Bangladesh, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand and Turkey - according to its website.
In the June 16 incident, the driver refuses to move the car she was driving, saying: "Do you know what an embassy car is?" She was confronted by another driver who filmed the incident. Photo: Xigua News alt=In the June 16 incident, the driver refuses to move the car she was driving, saying: "Do you know what an embassy car is?" She was confronted by another driver who filmed the incident. Photo: Xigua News>
Initial investigation by Beijing police found Yu had violated rules by parking in the road and refusing to move the car.
In a statement on Wednesday, police said the investigation also found Yu had insulted people and made inappropriate remarks, resulting in a negative social impact. It added that she was fined "according to law", without saying how much the penalty was.
The police statement said officers were investigating other alleged violations, including illegally breeding dogs.
Yu Qi bows in her apology video published on June 19. Photo: Weibo alt=Yu Qi bows in her apology video published on June 19. Photo: Weibo>
Yu issued an apology on Wednesday night.
"Due to my wrongdoings on June 16, which have had an extremely negative social impact, the general public has sincerely criticised me. After serious reflection, I offer a deep self-examination and a sincere apology to everyone," Yu said while bowing in apology in a video on Wednesday.
She said her actions had negatively affected the international organisation she was affiliated with.
However, Yu's apology and punishment were not received well by some internet users.