A confrontational style of Chinese diplomacy that takes its name from the "Wolf Warrior" series of jingoistic blockbusters, in which a kind of Chinese Rambo fights off foreign baddies. The approach became sharply more prevalent from 2019.
An analysis of all 16,000 press-conference answers given by foreign-ministry spokespersons since 2018, scored for belligerence, shows that China's diplomatic rejoinders became sharply more bellicose starting in 2019. Average aggressiveness peaked in May 2021. Since mid-2022, however, it has steadily fallen; by the beginning of 2025 the foreign ministry's language had softened to levels of cordiality not seen in six years.
Much of the vitriol was directed at America. The words "American-side" and "America" appeared in almost half of the most aggressive answers. Other frequently appearing terms include "security" (32%), "principles" (25%) and "sovereignty" (23%). Taiwan, which China insists is a domestic matter, appeared in 16% of belligerent responses.
Zhao Lijian, the foreign ministry's spokesperson from 2019 to 2023, was one of the style's greatest practitioners. He once told a Bloomberg journalist that members of the Five Eyes alliance should be careful, "lest their eyes be poked blind". Lu Shaye, China's envoy to France from 2019 to 2025, was another prominent wolf warrior; he argued the posture was simply "self-defence" against aggressive foreigners. China has since distanced itself from both.
Several theories explain the initial turn to wolf-warring. Xi Jinping may have wanted to stamp out ideological laxity among foreign-ministry cadres. It might also have been a distraction from domestic woes, such as covid-19.
The wolf warriors caused severe damage in a few short years. Their comments triggered diplomatic blowback and soured relations with Australia and the EU, among others. Globally, public opinion on China tanked. An experiment by Weifang Xu of Emory University found that although exposure to wolfish rhetoric increased Chinese support for the government, it antagonised Americans and made them favour aggressive policies towards China. In 2021 Xi chaired a Politburo study session that mulled building a "credible, lovable and respectable" image of China. Economic concerns also played a role: diplomats did not want to scare off commercial partners in uncertain times.
I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.