NEWS//A humble tone?

China's approach to diplomacy over recent years has been to attack any country or journalist that finds fault with China. Their snarling and biting diplomats who engage in these attacks are called wolf warriors.

A new approach

But earlier this week, China's President Xi Jinping signaled that his nation will now take a different approach. At a meeting of the Politburo, the 25-member leadership of China's communist party, Xi said that China must "strengthen and improve its international propaganda work… We must pay attention to a good grasp of the tone, as well as be open, confident and humble, try our utmost to portray an image of a reliable, lovely, respectable China." Xi also instructed the country's leaders to create a “trustworthy, lovable and respectable” image for China.

One China-watcher wrote: "Chinese leader Xi Jinping left seasoned observers stunned this week after comments that appeared to signal a dramatic softening of the harsh rhetoric from Beijing in recent years when referring to the United States, Europe and other nations."

A current reality

A softer tone from China is probably an attempt to change the negative views of the country that exist in much of the world. CNN reports that China's reputation has deteriorated in "many parts of the world." A Pew Research report in late 2020 that concluded that fourteen countries it had surveyed across Europe, North America and East Asia each had a majority negative view of China. China has gained much negative attention in the last months for "genocide" within its Uyghur population, its aggressiveness in the South China Sea, and its role in the COVID pandemic. These are among the reasons that calls for boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are mounting.

An unchanged goal

Western China watchers don't believe that Xi’s comments signal a change in the way China will pursue its goals. For example, Isaac Stone Fish, CEO and founder of Strategy Risks, says of Xi's statements, “This isn’t saying ‘We are changing our policies,’ rather ‘We are trying to sell our policies better.’ It’s not ‘We want to increase freedom of speech or stop imprisoning Muslims.’ It’s ‘We want to be more sophisticated propagandists and we need to find more foreigners to tell China’s story well. … And more people to lie, obfuscate and propagandize. …It’s not ‘Let’s treat people better.’”

Sources: Republic World, 316NOW, Politico, MSN, Washington Post, CNN, Pew Research