BEIJING, Oct 16 — Beijing told the White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia today to visit China “more often”, after she said the country lacked “proper toilets” less than a week into her new post.

After years of intense rivalry between the United States and China over globally challenging issues from trade and technology to Taiwan and human rights, the US president’s new spokesperson took the two sides’ relationship to uncharted territory.

Zacharia—who previously lived in China and is due to visit next month—recalled in an interview the perception in 2016 that China would soon overtake the United States.

“I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, ‘How is China the next country on the horizon? They don’t even have proper toilets,” she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec.