Xi seeks ‘lovable’ image for China in sign of diplomatic rethink

President Xi Jinping urged Chinese officials to create a “trustworthy, lovable and respectable” image for the country, in a sign that Beijing may be looking to smooth its hard-edged diplomatic approach.

Xi told senior Communist Party leaders Monday that the country must “make friends extensively, unite the majority and continuously expand its circle of friends with those who understand and are friendly to China,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Beijing needed “a grip on tone” in its communication with the world, and should “be open and confident, but also modest and humble.”

The remarks suggest that Xi may be rethinking his communication strategy on the global stage as President Joe Biden works to bolster U.S. relationships weakened under his predecessor’s “America First” policies. Xi has cast aside the party’s decades-old “hide-and-bide” strategy of keeping a low international profile in favor of a “big country diplomacy.”

China’s has increasingly hit back against perceived violations of its core interests by foreign countries with trade measures, travel bans and diplomatic protests — an approach sometimes criticized as “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy. That style has been blamed for diplomatic setbacks with partners that appeared open to closer ties with Beijing, such as the European Union and the Philippines.

Wang Yiwei, director of Renmin University’s Institute of International Affairs and a former Chinese diplomat, said China’s more assertive diplomacy came in response to those in the West who cast the country as a threat. But that has failed to satisfy both domestic and international audiences, he said.

“China’s image in the West has deteriorated since the pandemic, and this needs to be taken seriously,” he said. “The growth in China’s power needs to be accepted by the world. That would be the real growth of power.”

It remains to be seen whether the push would have any impact on China’s policies in disputes with countries such as the U.S., Australia or the European Union, all of which have seen ties deteriorate further in recent months. Views of China turned sharply negative last year in 14 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center, according to data released in October.

China’s emphasis on the superiority of socialism has caused some concern in the West, Wang said, and the ridicule of other countries’ failure to contain COVID-19 was “a bit overdone.”

The discussion on international communication included a lecture by Zhang Weiwei, a professor at Fudan University, who’s also a staunch and vocal advocate for how China’s governance model is superior to Western democracies.

Wang Wen, executive dean of Renmin University’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies and an adviser to the government, said it was the first such session held by the 25-member Politburo. He said that Beijing would continue to defend its interests overseas.

“Chinese leaders see that misrepresentations of China’s image have led to negative impacts to core interests,” Wang Wen said. “The leaders hope that every layer of the government will pay attention to international communication and take an active role to communicate internationally.”