Manfred Weber, the German leader of the center-right EPP | Mathieu Cugnot/European Union Manfred Weber asks: Who wants to live the Chinese way of life? Defending Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, EPP leader spurns Chinese, African and American lifestyles.

STRASBOURG — Why contain a fight over protecting the European way of life to Europe, when there are so many other continents to offend?

Manfred Weber, the German leader of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, presumably thought he was helping his fellow conservative, Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, when he spoke out in defense of her decision to name a new vice president in charge of "protecting our European way of life."

Von der Leyen has faced heavy criticism for assigning that title to the portfolio of the Greek commissioner nominee, Margaritis Schinas, which also includes responsibility for migration and asylum policy. Critics denounced the implication that migrants and refugees might pose a threat to Europe's way of life, and called the title a "dog whistle" for far-right extremists.

Von der Leyen has defended her choice and Weber seemed to be trying to lend a hand on that front.

Instead, Weber, who was the EPP's Spitzenkandidat or "lead candidate" for Commission president, only fanned the flames by apparently denigrating the lifestyles of billions of Chinese, Africans and Americans.

"We defend the title, we think that the title is a good title," Weber said at a news conference in Strasbourg, where the Parliament is in plenary this week. "Is there somebody in the room who wants to live the Chinese way of life? Is there someone in the room who wants to live the African way of life? Or the American way of life?"

"I want to live the European way of life," he declared.

Angry reactions quickly began piling up, including on Twitter, with some questioning what Weber found lacking about the African way of life, others saying he had failed to recognize African diversity, and still others accusing him of bigotry.

Weber, in his remarks, also repeated von der Leyen's point that the phrase "European way of life" should not be "hijacked" by the far right.

But overall, his remarks seemed unlikely to ease the pressure that von der Leyen is under from MEPs and others to change the title she proposed last week for Schinas, who served as chief spokesman for the Juncker Commission until his recent nomination to be the Greek commissioner.

Defenders of von der Leyen have noted that the idea of protecting the European way of life was a centerpiece of Weber's campaign program for the Commission presidency. While EU leaders ultimately bypassed Weber in favor of von der Leyen for the EU's top executive post, the two German conservatives share nearly identical political and policy goals.

"We should not allow that the right extremists like Le Pen in France are highjacking the European way of life debate, it’s our debate, it’s a Christian Democrat debate, it’s debate from socialists, from liberals," Weber said Tuesday, referring to Marine Le Pen, the president of the far-right National Rally in France.

"We have to define it, not the extremists," he added.