A few days ago in Alaska, the US and China held their first high-level meeting since US President Joe Biden took office. With all eyes around the globe watching, Yang Jiechi, Director of the CCP’s Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi opened the meeting with their long, rude and totally out-of-place diatribes. Coincidentally, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, launched a vituperative attack on French politicians and academics using terms such as “little hooligans” and “mad dogs” over a planned visit to Taiwan by French lawmakers. Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and Lu Shaye are the CCP’s diplomatic representatives for the party, political system and the country. By repeatedly barking at other nations over the past few days, they have insulted others and themselves. Their wolf warrior character is no longer concealed. The true colors of a howling wolf in a suit are fully exposed.

The CCP’s war wolf diplomacy has its roots in China’s tough and arrogant diplomatic behavior under Xi Jinping’s watch. For a long time in the past, the CCP adopted the themes of a “peaceful rise” and “hiding its light under a bushel” as the guidelines of its diplomatic behavior. With such packaging, Western democracies mostly adopted an appeasement policy towards the CCP’s many acts against democracy and human rights, giving the CCP more room for its rise.

After Xi Jinping came to power, the guidelines for diplomacy changed. The theme of a “peaceful rise” gave way to hegemony and hegemonism, “hiding its light under a bushel” was replaced by wolf-like diplomacy, and the renminbi and military might have become the carrot and the stick for the CCP to practice wolf-like diplomacy. On the one hand, the CCP has lured many developing countries onto its side with its huge economic power and the Belt and Road Initiative, often intimidating developed countries into compromise by brandishing economic interests. On the other hand, it has used its military strength directly to browbeat its neighboring countries into accepting the international order arranged by China. It has created sovereignty disputes with Taiwan, Japan, and the South China Sea. It has also launched relentless campaigns to suppress human rights and carried out brainwashing and cultural genocides in places such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet.

Over the past few years, President Donald Trump and the CCP were in a direct conflict. Xi Jinping has kept ratcheting up its wolf warrior diplomacy. The speeches made by several Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons have been particularly aggressive. The CCP’s wolf warrior diplomacy has two purposes. Externally, it is aimed at building its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the world. Domestically, it is aimed at inciting populism based on nationalism so as to consolidate its rule.

Externally, the CCP claims that its disputes with other countries are about safeguarding China’s core interests, adding that it will not budge an inch when it comes to sovereignty. But in fact, the CCP’s specific goal is the creation of a new system in the Asia-Pacific region under which other nations will have to offer tributes to it, as well as an international order with China as the “celestial dynasty”. Those who disobey the CCP will be intimidated. The specific scope of its wolf warrior diplomacy covers the sovereignty disputes with Japan over islands and reefs, the right to free navigation in the South China Sea, and its warplanes’ incursion into Taiwan and its military exercises in the Taiwan Strait to intimidate Taiwan.

Wolf Warriors diplomacy also has an internal propaganda effect. It fans the Chinese people’s xenophobia and incites a populist atmosphere enabled by nationalism. Propaganda campaigns such as the “China dream” and “So amazing is my country”, when combined with wolf warrior diplomacy, create an impression that China under the leadership of Xi Jinping has become prosperous and powerful across the board, possessing the economic and military strength that allows it to “punish” other countries. Wolf warrior diplomacy allows the CCP to justify its rule on the grounds of the Chinese people’s boiling emotions. The Chinese people are ecstatic when listening to the spokespersons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic envoys, foreign ministers and other senior officials trashing other countries in the diplomatic arena. What they have said creates an impression of Chinese superiority and supremacy.

Over the past two weeks, the CCP’s wolf warrior diplomacy has gradually gone rogue. Lu Shaye’s series of indecent comments have, for example, angered the political and academic circles in France. France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has sternly demanded that China abide by the regulations for foreign embassies on public communication stipulated in the Vienna Convention. It also summoned Lu Shaye in an announcement on 23rd March, demanding explanations for a number of radical remarks over the past few days.

Furthermore, immediately after the European Union announced sanctions against four Chinese officials who violated Uyghur human rights in response to the Xinjiang issue, countries such as the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also issued statements to sanction or condemn China. China retaliated by announcing its own sanctions against ten members of the European Parliament and scholars. Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even said yesterday, “These countries combined only account for 11% of the world’s population. They are far less populous than China and are not qualified to represent the international community.” That was jaw-dropping.

All these developments show that the CCP’s promotion of wolf warrior diplomacy has not only damaged its international image, but also won the CCP enemies around the world and isolated China from the international community. People like Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and Lu Shaye have insulted other countries in complete disregard of diplomatic protocol. They are not merely showing the aggression of a war wolf. Instead, they are howling like wolves with their tongues loosened, putting their arrogance and rudeness on full display.

When the CCP’s wolf warriors become howling wolves, they excite the nationalism of the Chinese people and show the arrogance of Xi Jinping’s regime. If the international community continues to treat it with an appeasement policy, there will only be an even greater threat to democracy and human rights.

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