China signals no let-up in aggressive diplomacy in Xi's third term

BEIJING: China signaled on Thursday September 29 no let-up in its combative approach to foreign policy in a third term for Xi Jinping, despite criticism from many Western diplomats that the so-called Wolf Warrior stance has been counterproductive.

As relations with the West have soured over issues from trade and human rights to COVID-19, Chinese diplomats have often been confrontational on the public stage, including on social media, a stridency that some critics see as intended for a domestic audience that hurts its foreign ties.

Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said in response to a Thursday news conference on Chinese diplomacy in the decade since Xi assumed power, that they will not sit and do nothing while their country's interests are being harmed.

In an upcoming leadership reshuffle, Chinese diplomats will continue to overcome all obstacles and be the devoted guardians of the interests of our country and our people, said Ma, who is considered to be among the candidates to replace Wang Yi as foreign minister.

Xi is poised to break with precedent and secure a third leadership term at the Communist Party's once-in-five-year congress next month.

Xi has urged Chinese diplomats to have more fighting spirit after a patriotic movie franchise, which has seen many Chinese officials take to social media platforms including Twitter, which is blocked in China, with aggression that has come to be known as Wolf Warrior diplomacy.

A global survey released this week by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found that public opinion toward China in the United States and other advanced economies had turned negative under Xi.