City BeatDeath of envoy gives Hong Kong cause to reflect on his handover role
Wu Jianmin may have appeared dovish, but he was also tough on the issues that mattered most
It’s not at all an exaggeration to say that the death of a long-retired Chinese diplomat has made the whole nation reflect on how to make good use of China’s soft power.
The death of Wu Jianmin made headlines in leading newspapers, including here in Hong Kong, not to mention the outpouring of condolences on mainland social media platforms. It was something meaningful to Hong Kong as well.
Wu, 77, one of China’s most influential career diplomats, retired more than 10 years ago. The former ambassador to France, and to the United Nations in Geneva, died in a car crash while on his way to give a lecture at Wuhan University in the capital city of Hubei province a week ago.
The tragic accident shocked the nation. Many remembered him as the country’s leading dovish diplomat, thanks to his well-known debates with a senior military general who took a hard line on the South China Sea issue, and with the chief editor of the radical, nationalistic tabloid Global Times.
One article that went viral online spoke volumes as to why he was so sorely missed: “After Wu, who else can debate with the populists?”