China, in recent days, has sought to dismiss usage of
the term ‘Wolf Warrior diplomacy’ – used to describe aggressive rhetoric used
by the country’s diplomats to ward off criticism on several issues – by calling
it a further updation to the ‘China Threat Theory’ being propagated by critics of Beijing, PTI reported.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng in the country’s first
ever official reaction to the phrase said the term ‘Wolf Warrior diplomacy’ is another
version of the ‘China threat theory’, terming it as a ‘discourse trap’ aimed at
preventing China from fighting back.

Once-known for their low-key approach to issues, the stance of
Chinese diplomats has changed in recent years continually as Beijing battles
issues such as the coronavirus pandemic stemming from Wuhan.

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According to critics, the change in style is further fuelled by
the aggressive nationalistic vision of the current Communist Party of China
(CPC) President Xi Jinping.

“In
some Westerners’ eyes, Chinese diplomats are now engaged in ‘Wolf Warrior’
style diplomacy, named after a 2015 Chinese patriotic action film and its 2017
sequel. The change seemingly has made the West feel challenged,” AFP
quoted a write-up from Global Times, an aggressive tabloid from the CPC, as
saying.

The
term originated from 2017 Chinese film ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ that takes after Hollywood
flick ‘Rambo’.

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Stressing
that China has always been a country of etiquette and has not gone down the
road of meddling in other’s business, Li further stated that the idea that
China has made enemies around the world with aggressive diplomacy is untrue.

“We
have always made friends and forged good relationships. It is precisely certain
big countries which have pressured other countries to take sides with ‘my way
or no way’ choice. But even under such circumstance, China’s ‘circle of
friends’ is not getting smaller but bigger” Le said.