Profile | China’s leaders turn to outspoken ‘true believer’ to help improve country’s image internationally

Zhang Weiwei, who ‘laughed his head off’ at Xinjiang criticisms, believes the country should speak to foreigners in ‘language they can understand’

The professor’s strong defence of the country’s model has won the favour of President Xi Jinping and an invitation to address the Politburo last month

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Zhang Weiwei has been given a slew of academic honours. Photo: Baidu

Published: 1:00pm, 26 Jun 2021Updated: 11:39am, 10 Aug 2021

Last month a meeting of China’s top leaders discussed ways to communicate the country’s message more effectively and improve its image to the rest of the world.

The Politburo also heard from a Shanghai-based professor, Zhang Weiwei, who offered his own suggestions on how to “improve the Chinese narrative”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The favour shown to Zhang, a leading theorist of China’s model of political and economic development, suggests he will have an increasing influence over the country’s efforts to create what President Xi Jinping described as a “favourable external public opinion environment”.

The country has faced increasing opposition internationally amid its crackdown in Hong Kong, claims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the mutual finger-pointing between China and the US following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing’s isolation has been exacerbated by aggressive “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy and ineffective propaganda and influence campaigns abroad. Analysts said that last month’s Politburo meeting formed part of the effort to shift these unfavourable narratives.

But while Zhang, the director of Fudan University’s China Institute, has a large number of fans at home, he is also a controversial figure especially among liberal scholars who want to reform the country’s economic and political systems.