Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lewis Eves, Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
At the recent Munich Security Conference, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, delivered a rebuke of what he said were dangerous trends of militarism in Japan. In a panel discussion, he pointed out comments made in November by the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in which she suggested Japan could intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Wang stressed that these remarks were a direct challenge to China’s national sovereignty, suggesting this was something his country would not accept. He warned of a “very dangerous development in Asia”, adding that Japanese people “should not let far-right extremists move and drag them down”.
Some observers have suggested that Wang’s remarks indicate a return to China’s “wolf warrior” approach to diplomacy, an assertive and jingoistic foreign policy strategy that was adopted by numerous Chinese officials and diplomats for several years beginning in the late-2010s. China switched away from this strategy around 2023 and sought to position itself as more of a global peacemaker instead.
Wang’s remarks in Munich did bear the hallmarks of wolf warrior diplomacy. But I think he also used his appearance at the conference to signal something greater in China’s diplomatic strategy: a desire to position itself as the beneficiary of the current turbulence in global politics.
The term “wolf warrior” stems from a 2015 Chinese war film, also called Wolf Warrior. The film follows a special forces soldier of the People’s Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Chinese Communist party (CCP), who fights and defeats a group of foreign mercenaries. It was followed by a second film in 2017.
The success of the franchise inspired so-called “wolf warriors” among China’s nationalist movement. These people called for Chinese officials to be more assertive in their foreign policy, threatening coercive action where they need to.
The relationship between the CCP and China’s nationalist movement is complex. However, the reliance of the CCP on the nationalist movement for support gave the movement – and, by extension, the wolf warriors – significant influence to pressure officials into pursuing a more assertive foreign policy.
This led to the development of wolf warrior diplomacy. Similar to the unapologetic use of force employed by the film’s titular character to battle foreign enemies, Chinese diplomats used threats to silence foreign criticism of China and its government. The idea was to portray strength to domestic and international audiences.
One example of wolf warrior diplomacy occurred in 2020. In response to the award of a Swedish literature prize to Gui Minhai, a human rights activist who is currently imprisoned in China on unsubstantiated “spying” charges, China’s ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou publicly stated on Swedish radio: “We treat our friends with fine wine, but for our enemies we’ve got shotguns.”
Wang made a similar threat against Japan in Munich. When asked a question about the tensions between the two countries, he made reference to Japan’s history of violent expansion. He threatened: “If you [Japan] go back down the old road, it will be a dead end. If you try gambling again, the loss will be faster and more devastating.”
Level-headed strategy
Wang was a proponent of wolf warrior diplomacy at its height, and for him to be making threats at an international conference is reminiscent of China’s worryingly assertive foreign policy posture of the recent past. But his broader rhetoric in Munich reflected a level-headed diplomatic strategy.
In his keynote speech, Wang spoke of the need for the UN and for global cooperation and collaboration. He also called for greater European representation in the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. And he framed recent US foreign policy as undermining international law, highlighting American interference in Venezuela as a key example.
Wang appears to have been trying to use an international event to position China as an alternative global leader to the US that is interested in upholding western institutions of international governance and law. In contrast to knee-jerk nationalism and jingoism as a hallmark of foreign policy, this speaks to a strategy that seeks to manoeuvre China into a position where it can court favour with the countries the US is antagonising.
This approach predates Wang’s speech and seems to be working. Even the UK, traditionally considered the closest US ally in Europe, has been forging new agreements with China in recent weeks. These include visa-free travel, intelligence-sharing and possible trade deals.
So, why then did Wang attack Japan in Munich? Tensions between the two nations are particularly tense at the moment. And, while it is hostile to foreign interference generally, China’s nationalist movement is specifically anti-Japanese.
Chinese nationalism draws heavily from the narrative of the “century of humiliation”, a period from 1839 to 1949 in which China was victimised by foreign powers. A particularly prominent example of this was the second Sino-Japanese war (1937-45), which resulted in the deaths of up to 20 million Chinese people.
There remains considerable animosity over this conflict in China. Given his wolf warrior background, the prevalence of anti-Japanese sentiment in China and the current tensions between China and Japan, Wang’s rhetoric towards Japan is unsurprising.
I suspect it reflects a combination of his personal views, pressure from China’s nationalist movement and compliance with the CCP’s official line on discussing the tensions with Japan. Yet, this should not distract from the broader view Wang gave of Chinese diplomacy and how China is positioning itself to benefit from the currently turbulent state of global politics.
Lewis Eves does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. China has turned the page on its aggressive ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy – except when it comes to Japan – https://theconversation.com/china-has-turned-the-page-on-its-aggressive-wolf-warrior-diplomacy-except-when-it-comes-to-japan-276144