China’s wolf warriors? It’s more like undiplomatic US wolverines
- While Beijing has mostly muzzled its rude envoys, its counterparts in Washington appear to be just getting started with their arrogant antics
Where have all the wolf warriors gone? There has been a rapid and punctuated evolution, and the usual Chinese species have mutated into American ones.
I ask because Foreign Affairs just ran an article titled, “Have China’s wolf warriors gone extinct?” The author defines a wolf warrior as someone who is a high-profile ambassador or foreign ministry spokesperson with a tendency to make “acerbic, sarcastic or negative” public statements. Instead of being tactful and circumspect, they prefer verbal confrontation.
It happened to some Chinese diplomats, so the author argues, some time after 2019. But they have now largely disappeared just as they quickly appeared on the international scene.
If those are the defining characteristics, I would argue that the species of diplomats haven’t gone away, rather they have turned American. There is a difference, though. Chinese wolf warriors were almost always rebutting or reacting to criticism from a foreign source or concerted negative claims from multiple sources, usually Western governments, led by Washington. The US version is different. They feel free to round on foreign governments and leaders at the drop of a hat, often without provocation or a previous unkind statement from a foreign source.
It’s this arrogance that typifies American wolf warriors. And in that sense, they have always been there, part of the diplomatic flora and fauna that people take for granted, because America has been so high and mighty.
Take, for example, Rahm Emanuel, US ambassador to Japan and former president Barack Obama’s chief of staff, whose rudeness and explosive temper are legendary. As mayor of Chicago, he was described by one US publication as “the Mariah Carey of swearing”. Since taking up his post in 2022, he has jumped at every opportunity to round on China. You might think he was working for the Japanese government – except, of course, the Japanese are never rude.
Last month, taking a cue from US Treasury chief Janet Yellen, he denounced Beijing for exporting its domestic economic problems to the rest of the world, and declared the US would never tolerate China dumping its cheap goods Well, Emmanuel, you say Chinese overproduction, I say American protectionism.
Like all good wolf warriors worthy of the name, he has made liberal use of the social platform X to send rude messages ranging from China’s economic downturn and the sacking of top ministers, to rising youth unemployment or Beijing’s criticism of Japan’s dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into open seas.
Emmanuel has gone reliably wolverine every time. It’s a good thing he wasn’t posted to China, not that his colleague, Nicholas Burns, is far behind over there. Last week, Burns accused Beijing of fuelling anti-American sentiment, restricting Chinese citizens’ access to US embassy social media platforms and making it harder for mainland students to attend US universities.
Burns, your State Department’s No 2 boss, Kurt Campbell, just said Chinese students were not welcome to study science and technology in US universities and should only pursue useless but expensive degrees in the humanities. Customs and other agencies have been detaining and refusing entry to Chinese students pursuing advanced technical degrees.
Burns also claimed China had completely misread Western resolve in saving Ukraine and accused Beijing of helping to sustain Russia’s economy. Doesn’t that practically apply to every other country outside the West?
Of course, it’s not just China when it comes to America’s undiplomatic diplomats.
On the bicentennial of US-Mexico diplomatic relations in late 2022, former US ambassador to Mexico Roberta S. Jacobson accused outgoing Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of frequently trying to “picar” the United States. The Spanish word means “to bug”, “to stir”, “to annoy” and “to goad”.
In context, it may be better translated as to challenge or defy the US. What an occasion to pick on your next door neighbour!
It seems wolverines have found gainful employment at the State Department.
