Germany's European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has issued an apology for his disparaging remarks about China, gay people, and French-speaking Belgians. The commissioner said now he realizes that his words had 'hurt' people. He was recorded passing insulting comments during a German business forum held last week.

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Oettinger's apology comes a day after his comments were strongly condemned by the Chinese foreign ministry. The ministry said that the comments betrayed a 'baffling sense of superiority' among western politicians. Earlier, the European commissioner had merely acknowledged that his comments were 'somewhat sloppy' and had maintained that he had nothing to apologize for.

Oettinger wrote a 300-word apology and explained that he merely intended to pull businesses out of their contented attitude towards competition from China. He added that he did not intend to create bad feelings or to hurt people. The commissioner said that he apologizes for 'any remark that was not as respectful as it should have been.' He also clarified his position about the remarks related to French-speaking Belgians.

The Commissioner is a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party. His comments were widely mocked and criticized. He is scheduled to take over EU Budget vice-president position from Kristalina Georgieva, who is leaving for a new job with the World Bank. His comments cast a shadow of doubt about him joining the organization. Oettinger is also likely to be interrogated by the European Parliament, which will hold a hearing to test his suitability for the new role. The meeting is likely to take place before the end of this year.

TagsGuenther Oettinger, European Union, Kristalina Georgieva