SCMP Columnist

China Briefing

by Wang Xiangwei

China Briefing

by Wang Xiangwei

Coronavirus: China should rein in ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats and let its actions do the talking

Fiery media rhetoric may go down well with the hardliners, but it will do nothing for Beijing’s image overseas
Imagine the goodwill China will reap if it can develop a Covid-19 vaccine and share it with the world

Wang Xiangwei

Published: 9:45am, 23 May 2020

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In the run-up to the two-day meeting last week of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO), expectations were building in the international media that China faced an unprecedented backlash.

Beijing reportedly was resisting growing pressure for an independent investigation into the origins of the pandemic; Taiwan was lobbying hard on its latest attempt to join the body as an observer, and some expected the United States to use the forum to ratchet up attacks on China and the WHO, all of which threatened to mar the international body’s first major gathering since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

But in fact it turned out quite well for Beijing, which largely came across as the good guy, as compared to Washington which threatened to permanently cut off funding to the WHO at a time when health officials are saying it is needed more than ever to lead the fight against Covid-19.

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Let’s hope Chinese officials will ride on the back of Beijing’s performance at the WHO to improve the country’s global image by scaling back the blame game with Washington and its aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy, and allow its actions to speak louder than words.

While US President Donald Trump was notably absent, Chinese President Xi Jinping projected China as a responsible world power in his speech on Monday by appealing for international cooperation, pledging US$2 billion to the WHO in the next two years, and promising to make self-developed vaccines available to all as “a global public good”.

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More importantly, Xi said China would back “a comprehensive review of global response” to the coronavirus, to be led by the WHO after the pandemic was brought under control.

And in the end, the sensitive issue of whether Taiwan should be granted observer status failed to make it on to the agenda at the assembly meeting, just like on previous occasions.

To be sure, Beijing’s gesture of goodwill at the assembly was overshadowed by Washington’s efforts to lob accusations against China. These included Trump labelling the WHO as “a puppet of China” and threatening to withdraw funds permanently unless the body could “demonstrate independence from China”.

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And Xi’s speech might have been met with scepticism in the international media, where some interpreted it as an attempt by Beijing to distract attention from its earlier missteps in handling the outbreak.

But it should go down well in the developing countries, particularly in Africa where medical infrastructure and preparedness for virus outbreaks are weak. Indeed, Xi said the Chinese government would work with the United Nations to set up a global humanitarian depot and hub in China and help establish “green corridors” to move medical supplies quickly to the rest of the world. China will also allow its hospitals to “pair up” with 30 African hospitals and accelerate the building of the African CDC headquarters to enhance Africa’s response to the pandemic. He said Beijing would work with the world’s richest countries on debt relief for the poorest nations.

China can turn the tables on the US with a science-led probe into Covid-19’s origins

Regardless of China’s motives, it has offered concrete and detailed measures and financial commitments to help fight the global pandemic. In comparison, Washington’s sole focus has been on blaming China.

Xi’s speech came shortly before China began its long-delayed annual session of the National People’s Congress on Friday. The Chinese leadership hopes to use the hugely symbolic occasion to project an air of assuredness in the face of the pandemic.

Xi’s public backing of “a comprehensive review” of the global response to the pandemic is welcome but it should have come much sooner. Until Monday, China had been at a distinct disadvantage as the US and Australia tried to build a campaign calling for an international investigation targeting China’s initial handling of the outbreak. Chinese officials had rightly argued that such a campaign was politically motivated to stigmatise China but Beijing’s sole focus on resisting such calls was counterproductive.

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As argued in this space, China’s backing for an international science-based investigation without prejudice and preconditions, as voiced by Xi on Monday, could help Beijing break out of Washington’s encirclement, clear the air with the international community and win more friends.

Over the past few weeks, Trump and other China hawks have ratcheted up tensions by calling the virus “a plague from China”, hoping to make Beijing appear solely responsible for this human tragedy. Chinese officials and state media have reacted furiously, calling certain US politicians – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in particular – names. Such a blame game is not only useless, but it is dangerous too.

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Xi’s speech on Monday offers hopes for a change. Throughout, Xi appealed for international collaboration and promised detailed measures and support for the global battle against the pandemic, without going after the US.

That is the wise thing to do. Over the past few months, Beijing has ramped up its propaganda machine to push back against Washington’s narrative and its diplomats around the world have conducted so-called “wolf warrior” diplomacy by taking a robust, often confrontational approach to any criticism of China, in the name of defending the national interest.

This style of diplomacy is named after a movie series that depicts China’s special forces undertaking overseas operations. The movies have become popular with the Chinese public, thanks to their patriotic tone.

01:57

Xi Jinping tells World Health Assembly China has been transparent on coronavirus

But the reality is that China’s propaganda is just propaganda, disingenuous and ineffective. The more the Communist Party tightens the control of its media for the propaganda purpose, the less convincing its messages will become.

For instance, China’s national television station CCTV has aired a daily commentary during prime time over the past two weeks that blasts US politicians as “evil”, like “monkeys wearing a hat” and “hated by both man and god”. Such vitriol is unnecessary and unproductive, reminding many people of the language common in official media during the Cultural Revolution.

The efforts by the “wolf warrior” diplomats who used to be trained to write dispatches behind closed doors like their foreign counterparts have produced mixed results at best.

The fiery response from the state media and the “wolf warrior” diplomats may go down well with the hardliners and give vent to their anger towards what they see as unfair treatment of China in the international media.

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But fanning such nationalistic sentiment can also backfire. Wang Gungwu, an eminent historian and sinologist, was right on point when he said in a recent interview that “the more nationalistic the Chinese people become, the less attractive their country will become”.

Over the past few months, the Chinese media has turbocharged propaganda about the wisdom and leadership of the Communist Party in taming the pandemic, but highlighting the ideological superiority of communist values is hardly a way to win friends overseas. On the contrary, such propaganda will do nothing constructive as communism and its values are off-putting for most people in the world.

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That is not to say Chinese officials or the state media should bite their tongues but they must be disciplined in responding to the backlash from the West. They must choose their battles wisely and fight for what really matters, instead of the current approach of swinging indiscriminately.

More importantly, at a time when many overseas analysts and investors have complained about “promise fatigue” – in reference to China promising things then failing to deliver them promptly – it is time to allow actions to speak louder than words.

Currently, China is a leader in the frantic race to develop coronavirus vaccines and Xi has vowed to make the China-developed vaccines available to all in the world as a “global public good”. This promise comes amid rising worries that vaccine nationalism will see certain countries keen to supply their citizens first, thus disrupting global distribution.

Just imagine the goodwill China will reap if it succeeds in becoming among the first to develop viable and safe vaccines and uses its massive production facilities to share them promptly with the world. ■

Wang Xiangwei is the former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Beijing as editorial adviser to the paper

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