China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (©Kyodo)
China's consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, has caused quite a ruckus in recent days. His since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) followed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in the Diet about Japan's possible reaction to a Taiwan contingency if it was deemed a "survival-threatening situation."
On November 8, the day after Takaichi made her statement, Xue responded on X with a somewhat ambiguous post. In it, he threatened without hesitation to cut off the "filthy neck" of anyone who dared interfere in China's internal affairs.
This was hardly Xue's first brush with controversy. During the 2024 election for the House of Representatives, for example, Xue openly urged voters to elect candidates from the Reiwa Shinsengumi party.
Some people might find this a bit ironic, considering how Beijing regularly accuses foreign governments and human rights organizations of interference in its internal affairs. Especially regarding Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet.
Escalation Risks and Beijing's Miscalculation
Indeed, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian claimed Takaichi's remarks in the Diet "constitute gross interference in China's internal affairs."
And on November 13, the Global Times, the jingoistic English-language tabloid published under the auspices of The People's Daily, offered a spirited defense of Xue's less-than-diplomatic post. It dubiously declared, "The absurdity, heinous nature and malicious intent behind her remarks have shocked the international community."
One social media account in China carried this highly inflammatory post, "If she continues to spew s*** without any boundaries like this, Takaichi might have to pay the price!"
Has Beijing forgotten that there have been several politically motivated assassinations in recent years? Considering it has total control of the domestic media in China, it would be well-advised to cool the situation rather than have its diplomats feed the flames.
Xue's Vituperatives
Out of curiosity, I took a look at Xue's X account and found a steady stream of vituperative posts castigating the United States and other Western countries. I wonder where he finds the time to cultivate friendly bilateral relations.
I also find it revealing that Xue's first name, "Jian," means sword. Apparently, he fancies himself a knight fighting for the honor of China and its paramount leader. Then again, his combativeness might derive from the fact that he was born in July 1968 at the height of Mao Zedong's disastrous Cultural Revolution, and he imbibed the delirious zeal of the Red Guards at birth.
Shaped by Japan and the Cultural Revolution
Xue's background is also interesting. His entire career as a diplomat since 1992 has been Japan-focused. Like the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, while a university student, Xue majored in Japanese. He later served multiple stints at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. Later, in November 2021, he was appointed Osaka Consul General.
Incidentally, Nicholas Enfitimades, a leading expert on Chinese espionage operations and tactics, noted in a recent podcast that the China Coast Guard has been actively recruiting Chinese nationals with Japanese language ability, with the caveat that they cannot have actually lived in Japan. Obviously, the Communist government is concerned that individuals who have lived in Japan might have been recruited by a foreign intelligence agency.
In any event, Zhao now seems to have been promoted to chief "wolf warrior."
The Rise of China's Wolf Warriors
During the late 2010s and early 2020s, several high-profile Chinese diplomats and foreign ministry spokespersons used aggressive rhetoric and confrontation to "tell China's story well" and directly savage foreign critics. They came to be dubbed "wolf warriors."
Among the most prominent were Hua Chunying and Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, who in 2021 labeled foreign critics of China "mad dogs."
But my favorite wolf warrior was, hands down, Zhao Lijian, who first made himself known as a media star when he was assigned to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan. He used his Twitter account to attack perceived enemies of China right and left.
His in-your-face posts got him promoted to first secretary at the Embassy of China in Washington, DC, from 2009 to 2013. He then landed a plum post in Beijing as a leading foreign ministry spokesman, a job he held for three years.
Zhao developed scurrilous attacks aimed at the US and other Western nations into a fine art. Perhaps his best-known controversy was the apparent promotion of a conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 virus had been developed by the US military and then brought to Wuhan, China, where it is generally agreed the pandemic began.
Zhao Lijian's Style and Fall from the Spotlight
Whenever his image appeared on the television screen, I would mumble to myself, "Again, the Iceman cometh." There was something about Zhao's impassive face that reminded me of a Noh mask. But his beady eyes suggested a cobra about to strike. That impression was enhanced by the angry vitriol that poured out through Zhao's nearly pursed lips.
In January 2023, it was learned that Zhao had been "promoted" to the role of deputy head of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs in China's foreign ministry. And thereafter, he has kept a low profile.
It seemed for a time that China had bade adieu to its "wolf warrior diplomacy" and Chinese diplomats had returned to acting more "diplomatic." But recent events would certainly suggest a return to past practices.
Why Wolf Warriors Matter Less Than They Seem
In the end, though, the emergence of a new pack of wolf warrior media stars may not be all that significant. The foreign ministry does not rank all that high in the pecking order within the Chinese government, and the Communist Party led by Xi Jinping ultimately calls the shots.
The wolf warriors are not freelancers who do what they like. For all their creativity in hurling opprobrium in defense of the honor of the socialist fatherland, they either do so at the behest of their superiors or are trying to garner favor with them to improve their chances at promotion.
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Author: John Carroll
