State media criticism of Trump’s ‘addiction to Twitter diplomacy’ signals China’s frustration
Xinhua commentary indicates Beijing has yet to adapt to the US president-elect’s unorthodox style of conducting foreign policy, say analysts
China’s state media has lambasted Donald Trump for conducting foreign policy through Twitter, in a commentary reflecting Beijing’s frustration with the US president-elect’s unorthodox style of diplomacy after his tweets broached sensitive issues in Sino-US relations.
State-run news agency Xinhua published the article, headlined “Addiction to Twitter diplomacy is unwise”, late on Tuesday night, hours after Trump’s tweet accusing China of refusing to help the United States contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
The signed commentary cited American politicians and academics, including former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, in making its point that Trump was not wise in tweeting so much about foreign policy.
“[Trump] said something like ‘the UN is just a club for people to have a good time’. These tweets have broken decades-old diplomatic protocols held by the US, including some anti-China comments,” the article stated.
“Diplomacy is not child’s play and you can’t run it like a business.”