Opinion | China as gentle giant would win more hearts than wolf warrior diplomacy

Name: Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party
Uploaded: 2021-07-06T16:30:13.000Z
Duration: 4 min 14 s
Description: Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party

For many Chinese, Xi Jinping’s stern warning to foreign powers on the centenary of the Communist Party was a sign of strength and resolve

But it would not have gone down well with the rest of the world, at a time when many are already wary of China’s rapid rise

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A woman on an electric scooter films a large screen outside a shopping mall showing President Xi Jinping’s speech on the 100th anniversary of China’s Communist Party on July 1. Although the speech was intended for the domestic audience, it was bound to have an international effect. Photo: AP

Lijia Zhang

Published: 12:30am, 7 Jul 2021Updated: 12:59am, 7 Jul 2021

In a speech marking 100 years of the Communist Party on July 1, President Xi Jinping warned that hostile foreign powers would “have their heads cracked and bleeding”.

The threatening words were ostensibly aimed at the United States and its allies, but also very much intended for the ears of the domestic audience.

For many Chinese, Xi’s stern tone was a sign of China’s confidence, strength and resolve. But I doubt it went down well with people beyond China’s borders.

And it certainly didn’t help soften China’s image in the world, at a time when many are already wary or fearful of the country’s rapid rise.

In a Pew survey released last week, unfavourable views of China remain at or near historic highs among the advanced economies in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific, although assessments of China’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis have improved.

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Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party

The results shouldn’t have come as a surprise. China’s global image has worsened in recent years, and especially since the pandemic struck.

Opinion | China as gentle giant would win more hearts than wolf warrior diplomacy

For many Chinese, Xi Jinping’s stern warning to foreign powers on the centenary of the Communist Party was a sign of strength and resolve But it would not have gone down well with the rest of the world, at a time when many are already wary of China’s rapid rise

For many Chinese, Xi Jinping’s stern warning to foreign powers on the centenary of the Communist Party was a sign of strength and resolve

But it would not have gone down well with the rest of the world, at a time when many are already wary of China’s rapid rise