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As I see it | Why China needs to rein in ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats to reset its global image
- Envoys in Paris and Manila have taken their bombastic diplomacy to the next level by questioning the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states and hurling veiled threats at Filipinos
- Beijing must keep a check on such diplomats or risk backlash as it seeks to project itself as a reliable global power
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Chinese diplomacy appears to have taken a sharp provocative stance of late.
In April, Beijing’s ambassador to France sparked outrage by questioning the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet states.
Lu Shaye said countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union did not have “effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations”.
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Huang Xilian, Lu’s counterpart in the Philippines, stirred a hornet’s nest the same month when he said that if Manila “genuinely cared about the 150,000 overseas Filipino workers”, it should “oppose Taiwan independence” rather than offer the United States access to military bases near the Taiwan Strait.
Last October, Chinese diplomatic staff in England were caught on video violently handling a Hong Kong-born man holding a peaceful protest on the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester.
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Beijing later recalled six consulate officials, including Consul General Zheng Xiyuan, after British police asked for their diplomatic immunity to be waived so they could be questioned over their roles in the brawl.
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