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Politics

中国外交官的错误言行

Jun 9, 2020 Minxin Pei

发自加利福尼亚州克拉蒙市—中国外交官向来以训练有素、不动声色和谨慎专业著称，致力于在不引发过多负面关注的情况下履行自身使命。但如今新一批年轻外交官们正在抛弃原有外交规范，转而积极鼓吹有利于中国的新型冠状病毒叙事。然而这个所谓的“战狼”外交却只能适得其反。

在新型冠状病毒危机爆发前不久，外交部长王毅就指示中国外交使团采取更强硬手段来维护中国的海外利益和声誉。而这场疫情——如果没有武汉地方当局初期的错误行径，其规模本应小得多——则提供了将这一指示转化为行动的绝佳契机。

而这正是中国外交官近期的言行。例如3月中旬外交部新任命的副司长兼发言人赵立坚提出了一种阴谋论，声称是美国军方将新型冠状病毒带到了武汉这个疫情首发地。

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The Coronavirus Is a Disease of Chinese Autocracy
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The Coronavirus Is a Disease of Chinese Autocracy

Minxin Pei blames the deadly epidemic on the one-party state's need to defend its image of infallibility.
China’s Misplaced Pandemic Propaganda
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Politics 6

China’s Misplaced Pandemic Propaganda

Minxin Pei notes that, when the COVID-19 crisis is over, people will remember what the country did, not what it said.
COVID-19 Is Finishing Off the Sino-American Relationship
asiandelight/Getty Images

Politics 2

COVID-19 Is Finishing Off the Sino-American Relationship

Minxin Pei thinks bilateral relations are unlikely to survive US and Chinese leaders' responses to the pandemic.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 8 Comments on this article

lt lee Jun 10, 2020

"... Zhao Lijian, promoted a conspiracy theory alleging that the US military brought the novel coronavirus to Wuhan, the pandemic’s first epicenter."

Not conspiracy theory at all.
Zhao raised an important question on whether the CDC had misclassified Covid19 as flu. Robert Redfield said "Yes." Of course the next question is "When?"

If it was before November 2019, whether the US had brought the virus to Wuhan is a valid question.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Peter McLoughlin Jun 10, 2020

Washington and Beijing have been on course for war some time now. It is not Covid 19 or a “wolf warrior approach” to diplomacy that has Sino-US relations in freefall. Rather, their core interests are increasingly in conflict. That’s what needs to be unravelled. As it stands, the pattern of history points to another world war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
- Dan Silverman Jun 13, 2020
  
  Only the US and Russia can have a world war, which is highly unlikely. With China, the US Navy and her allies, and there are a lot of them, will simply keep China bottled up close to the mainland, essentially, what you are seeing right now.
  - Peter McLoughlin Jun 13, 2020
    
    Look at the pattern of history, Dan. It is interests that drive nations to the brink of conflict. Then they convince themselves that catastrophic war can be averted, limited in scale or even won. Everyone convinces themselves they will triumph: but someone has to lose. In a third world war everyone will.
    A new reply to this comment has been posted.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
j. von Hettlingen Jun 10, 2020

Minxin Pei believes China’s “new crop of younger diplomats” will not help boost Xi Jinping’s global standing, on the contrary. A new, assertive brand of “wolf-warrior” diplomacy is now favoured not only by fledgling diplomats but also by the Chinese minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, who “instructed the country’s diplomatic corps to adopt a more assertive approach to defending China’s interests and reputation abroad” amid the global pandemic.
Instead of admitting the “early mistakes” by Wuhan officials to cover up the outbreak of Covid-19, that had led to the scale of pandemic’s spread, the foreign ministry’s deputy spokesman, Zhao Lijian, “promoted a conspiracy theory alleging that the US military brought the novel coronavirus to Wuhan.” Diplomats accused Western countries of failing to protect their people, unleashing vitriol usually preserved for domestic audiences.
In April, officials in France, Britain and nearly two dozen African nations rebuked actions or statements by Beijing. Chinese ambassador, Lu Shaye, was summoned by the French foreign office, which expressed its deep disapproval about Chinese diplomats’ claims that France had left its older citizens to die. Beijing has now been accused of hypocrisy and hubris, for obfuscating the origins of Covid-19, and for portraying Western governments as ineffectual compared to China’s own response.
Beijing has used Covid-19 to shore up Xi’s political power at home, demanding fealty and praise of his handling of the pandemic. It also demanded public expressions of appreciation for providing medical supplies and expertise sent overseas, only months after urging European and American officials to play down their own aid to save face. An official in China’s consulate in Chicago pressed a lawmaker in Wisconsin to draft a resolution supporting China’s efforts to fight Covid-19.
The author says this is “a mistake.” At a time when China’s reputation is suffering and its relationship with the US is in freefall, the country’s diplomats should be focused on differentiating China’s foreign policy from that of …. Trump.
Chinese diplomats “have long had a reputation as well-trained, colorless, and cautious professionals who pursue their missions doggedly without attracting much unfavorable attention.” In fact Wang Yi should learn from Zhou Enlai, China’s first foreign minister and premier under Mao Zedong. As one of the most popular and respected Chinese leaders during the 20th century, he is widely regarded as the founder of the country's diplomacy and a passionate promoter of world peace.
Unlike Zhou, a first-class diplomat, who was Henry Kissenger’s counterpart in Nixon’s rapprochement with China, today’s young diplomats “are ditching established diplomatic norms in favor of aggressively promoting China’s self-serving COVID-19 narrative. It is called ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy – and it is backfiring.” They lack political acumen and savoir faire. Although China was poor then, Zhou had a huge sense of savoir vivre. China may be rich today, but their nouveau riches and arrivistes travelling overseas lack class and do not command the respect that they seek to buy with money.
A “recklessly confrontational style” may look tough, but they should learn that one catches more flies with a spoonful of honey than a barrel full of vinegar. Zhou proposed guidelines for diplomacy, initiating the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which refer to mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
Today, his thoughts are shelved. He was a person of high morals, and honoured as a talented diplomat because of his way of handling difficult problems. What he left behind should be seen as valuable and spiritual treasures for Chinese diplomats generation after generation.
Apart from coming up with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, he sought common ground with other countries on major issues, putting minor differences aside. This notion, proposed by him as early as the 1940s, does not play a role in China under Xi, who seeks to demolish Zhou's foundation of building a harmonious world.
One thing a Chinese diplomat regretted was that there is no institution or centre within the Foreign Ministry that specifically studies Zhou Enlai and his diplomatic thoughts, although he led the ministry for 26 years. But there is the Zhou Enlai Diplomacy Study Centre at the China Foreign Affairs University.
The precondition of seeking common ground on major issues while leaving aside minor differences is to acknowledge the pluralism of the world. The idea of building a harmonious world, proposed by President Hu Jintao at the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations in 2005, was based on Zhou's idea.
On September 19, 2007, the proposal to establish the Zhou Enlai Diplomacy Study Centre was approved by the State Council. The center appears to be a combination of teaching, research, exchange, training and presentations, aiming to research and explore Zhou's diplomatic thoughts and practice. To a great extent, what Zhou left behind not only belongs to China but to the whole world. This is a message for today's young diplomats in China.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
j. von Hettlingen Jun 9, 2020

Minxin Pei believes China’s “new crop of younger diplomats” will not help boost Xi Jinping’s global standing, on the contrary. A new, assertive brand of “wolf-warrior” diplomacy is now favoured not only by fledgling diplomats but also by the Chinese minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, who “instructed the country’s diplomatic corps to adopt a more assertive approach to defending China’s interests and reputation abroad” amid the global pandemic.
Instead of admitting the “early mistakes” by Wuhan officials to cover up the outbreak of Covid-19, that had led to the scale of pandemic’s spread, the foreign ministry’s deputy spokesman, Zhao Lijian, “promoted a conspiracy theory alleging that the US military brought the novel coronavirus to Wuhan.” Diplomats accused Western countries of failing to protect their people, unleashing vitriol usually preserved for domestic audiences.
In April, officials in France, Britain and nearly two dozen African nations rebuked actions or statements by Beijing. Chinese ambassador, Lu Shaye, was summoned by the French foreign office, which expressed its deep disapproval about Chinese diplomats’ claims that France had left its older citizens to die. Beijing has now been accused of hypocrisy and hubris, for obfuscating the origins of Covid-19, and for portraying Western governments as ineffectual compared to China’s own response.
Beijing has used Covid-19 to shore up Xi’s political power at home, demanding fealty and praise of his handling of the pandemic. It also demanded public expressions of appreciation for providing medical supplies and expertise sent overseas, only months after urging European and American officials to play down their own aid to save face. An official in China’s consulate in Chicago pressed a lawmaker in Wisconsin to draft a resolution supporting China’s efforts to fight Covid-19.
The author says this is “a mistake.” At a time when China’s reputation is suffering and its relationship with the US is in freefall, the country’s diplomats should be focused on differentiating China’s foreign policy from that of …. Trump.

The author says, Chinese diplomats “have long had a reputation as well-trained, colorless, and cautious professionals who pursue their missions doggedly without attracting much unfavorable attention.” In fact Wang Yi should learn from Zhou Enlai, China’s first foreign minister and premier under Mao Zedong. As one of the most popular and respected Chinese leaders during the 20th century, he is widely regarded as the founder of the country's diplomacy and a passionate promoter of world peace.
Unlike Zhou, who was Henry Kissenger’s counterpart in Nixon’s rapprochement with China, today’s young diplomats “are ditching established diplomatic norms in favor of aggressively promoting China’s self-serving COVID-19 narrative. It is called ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy – and it is backfiring.” They lack political acumen and savoir faire. Although China was poor then, Zhou had a sense of savoir vivre. China may be rich today, but their nouveau riches and arrivistes travelling overseas lack class and do not command the respect that they seek to buy with money.
A “recklessly confrontational style” may look tough, but they should learn that one catches more flies with honey than a barrel full of vinegar. Zhou proposed guidelines for diplomacy, initiating the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which refer to mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
His thoughts, from today's point of view, remain far-reaching. He was a person with high morals, and is honored as a talented diplomat because of his way of handling difficult problems. What he left behind can be seen as valuable and spiritual treasures for Chinese diplomats generation after generation.
was a first-class diplomat. Besides coming up with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, he sought common ground with other countries on major issues, leaving aside minor differences; this notion, proposed by him as early as the 1940s, still plays a vital role today. It is the root of building a harmonious world.
One thing that's a pity, in my opinion, is that there is no institution or center within the Foreign Ministry that specifically studies Zhou Enlai and his diplomatic thoughts, although he led the ministry for 26 years. But I am pleased to know that the Zhou Enlai Diplomacy Study Center will soon be available at the China Foreign Affairs University.
he precondition of seeking common ground on major issues while leaving aside minor differences is to acknowledge the pluralism of the world. The idea of building a harmonious world, proposed by President Hu Jintao at the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations in 2005, was based on Zhou's idea.
On September 19, 2007, the proposal to establish the Zhou Enlai Diplomacy Study Center at our university was approved by the State Council. The center will be a combination of teaching, research, exchange, training and presentations, aiming to research and explore Zhou's diplomatic thoughts and practice. To a great extent, what Zhou left behind not only belongs to China but to the whole world.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Michael Public Jun 9, 2020

Fundamentally speaking, it is nothing new. What way in which they once acted internally, they now act externally too.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.

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中国外交官的错误言行

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