Ready to bounce with the wolves: Chinese FM Qin Gang’s fiery remarks go viral

China’s international minister, Qin Gang, took an oblique jibe on the US and stated, “Chinese diplomats must dance with the wolves to protect their country.” His remarks have gone viral on the nation’s social media.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Mar 9, 2023 12:00 IST

Chinese international minister Qin Gang (Photo: File/AFP)

By India Today World Desk: “Chinese diplomats must dance with the wolves to protect their country,” stated the nation’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang throughout his maiden annual press session to reply questions on international coverage and US-China relations. The international minister’s comment, which was a jibe on the US, has gone viral on China’s social media.

During the press session on Tuesday, Qin was requested if China was shifting away from its assertive fashion of diplomacy. He replied that when he first went to the US as China’s ambassador, “the American media exclaimed that China’s wolf warrior” arrived. “Now that I’m back as foreign minister, that title is no longer given to me. I’m really at a loss,” said the Chinese foreign minister.

Qin Gang was China’s ambassador to the US from 2021 to 2022.

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He said that the term ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’ is a “discourse entice” created by those who don’t understand China and Chinese diplomacy or they ignore facts and have hidden agendas, said a report by The Star.

“More than 2,000 years in the past, Confucius stated one ought to repay kindness with kindness and resentment with justice. Chinese diplomacy is stuffed with generosity and goodwill. But when jackals are in cost and hungry wolves are coming, Chinese diplomats should dance with the wolves to guard the nation,” Qin Gang was quoted by The Star as saying.

The term “wolf warrior diplomacy” became a buzzword around 2020. The term was drawn from a Chinese film franchise, “Wolf Warrior”. The second film of the series came in 2017 with a tagline, “Though far-off, anybody who affronts China can pay”.

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The term is used in the media to describe China’s new style of diplomacy, which became more aggressive and confrontational in recent years.

Qin Gang was on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary meetings in China, known as the “Two Sessions”. The foreign minister’s remark in his first media appearance since assuming the role in December closely follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s sentiments on the relation with the US.

Qin’s remarks came a day after President Xi Jinping said “Western international locations, led by the US” implemented an “all-round containment and suppression of China”.

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Edited By:

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Published On:

Mar 9, 2023