Will China’s jeers cost it the international moral high ground?

An online attempt to contrast China’s strength in space with India’s pandemic trauma was taken offline after a storm of criticism

But some say Beijing should stand firmer in projecting its image abroad

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Some observers suggest that Beijing has not been muscular enough in taking on Western narratives. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:00pm, 8 May 2021Updated: 9:51pm, 8 May 2021

One side of the image was of a Chinese rocket launch. The other was a photo of funeral pyres for coronavirus victims in India. Over the top was the title: “China’s fire vs India’s fire”.

The image was posted on Changan Jian, a social media account linked to the Communist Party, last Saturday.

The attempt to contrast the success of China’s latest space mission with the humanitarian tragedy across the border in India backfired and was swiftly taken down after criticism at home and abroad for its lack of compassion for people trapped in the trauma of the coronavirus pandemic.

The image is part of a nationalistic approach to China’s presentation of its views abroad that is sometimes referred to as Wolf Warrior diplomacy, and similar outcries over similar offending posts have been stirred up in Australia and Japan.

Even though the Changan Jian post was deleted, it revived a debate over how China should show itself to the rest of the world, with some suggesting that Beijing has not been muscular enough in taking on Western narratives.

Changan Jian’s post was taken down after coming in for a barrage of criticism for lacking compassion. Photo: Weibo

One of the most divisive figures on China’s diplomatic front lines has been foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.