A Chinese VP's Awkward Gay Joke

Poor Wang Yang. The Chinese Vice Premier thought he was being funny when he made a gay marriage joke during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, but few people agreed.

The comment, made yesterday during the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, went like this: "In China, when we say a pair of new people, we mean a newlywed couple. Although US law does permit marriage between two men, I don't think this is what Jacob or I actually want." Wang was trying to use humor to emphasis the ultimate stability of China and the State's sometimes rocky relationship. Wang, just one of four of China's vice premiers, went on, "We cannot have a divorce the way Wendi and Rupert Murdoch just had."

His efforts clearly fell flat. "Lew briefly smiled down at his notes after Wang's comments, but many members of the Chinese delegation squirmed," reported Reuters.