Wolf Warrior Diplomacy

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Concept :

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, widely regarded as a “wolf warrior” diplomat, has been transferred to the ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs.
The posting of Zhao Lijian to a less high-profile Boundary and Ocean Affairs Department has turned the spotlight on China’s diplomacy, as well as ignited a debate on its recalibration.
Zhao came to the limelight with his tweet accusing the US Army of bringing coronavirus to China in March 2020.

Wolf Warrior Diplomacy

It is a new approach inside China which reinforces a presumed transition of Chinese diplomacy from conservative, passive, and low-key to assertive, proactive that goes as far as insulting or threatening those deemed to violate China’s interests.
This approach is in contrast to prior Chinese diplomatic practices of Deng Xiaoping of 1970s-80s, which had emphasised on
working behind the scenes
avoiding controversy and
Favouring a rhetoric of international cooperation.
‘Wolf-warrior diplomacy’ describes offensives by Chinese diplomats to defend China’s national interests, often in confrontational ways.
Many Chinese believe the Western media portrayal of China is highly biased, often with ideological and racist biases.
Wolf-warrior diplomacy is part of the Chinese government’s endeavour to “tell the China story.”
Wolf warrior diplomacy has been widely used in the past few years, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolf warrior diplomacy has often garnered a strong response and in some cases has provoked a backlash against China.
It can have negative ramifications for bilateral relations with other countries.

Concerns

Just as Chinese society has become more diverse, Chinese diplomats are not monolithic.
There is no consensus within the Chinese foreign policy establishment on whether confrontational diplomacy is desirable, and not all Chinese diplomats are wolf-warriors.
Traditionally minded Chinese diplomats have sought to tamp down the combative impulse and dismissed Zhao’s theory about the US military as “crazy.”
Wolf warrior tactics, combined with great military assertiveness on the China-India border, has ended up pushing India much closer to the U.S., and alienating a billion plus-person economy.
Striking a balance between firmly defending national interests and enhancing soft power is a great challenge in Chinese diplomacy today due to political, ideological, and cultural differences with western powers.