On Sunday, October 16, 2022, a handful of protesters setup outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England. Their signs were critical of Xi Jinping, one with a picture of the overlord with a hangman’s noose around his neck. Consulate staff emerged and attacked the displays. The show of anger escalated to grabbing one of the protesters, a Hongkonger who identified himself as “Bob Chan” and dragging him into consulate grounds where he was punched and kicked by the consulate staff.
Taiwan News reports that some of the assailants have been identified through a crowdsourced effort on Telegram. The consul general himself, Zheng Xiyuan, participated in this rather undiplomatic act.
Since the assault took place on consulate gronds, which is Chinese territory by law, the assailants won’t be charged by UK authorities, although they may be expelled.
What would cause a diplomat to behave in this manner? Xi Jinping has promoted a concept of the wolf warrior, a persona that Chinese officials use to show how strongly they are willing to fight for the interests of China. Peter Martin told the National Bureau of Asian Research about the internal politics supporting the wolf warrior:
Wolf warrior diplomacy is a tactic. All Chinese diplomats are capable of using the tactic when they need to. What has been notable in recent years is that diplomats have strongly embraced wolf warrior diplomacy and made it the dominant way that they interact with the outside world and with foreign audiences. It seems that this kind of behavior is being rewarded by the party center. Those who like Zhao Lijian have indulged in this tactic have often been promoted very rapidly. I think that there are quite a few Chinese diplomats who have serious misgivings about the way that China is communicating and the damage that wolf warrior diplomacy seems to be doing to Beijing’s reputation abroad. The problem for those who doubt the tactic is Xi Jinping. Judging by his speeches, as well as his actions, Xi will continue rewarding people who conduct diplomacy in a more assertive manner. Those who have misgivings need to keep their thoughts to themselves for now, or they will face political repercussions.
This aggressive behavior is reflected in much if not all of the CCP’s dealings internally and with the rest of the world. We see the willingness to bring the brute authority of the Party worldwide with the operation of overseas police stations. Pulling people into Chinese terroritory, whether it be by persecuting Chinese family members back home, or literally pulling a Hongkonger off the street in the United Kingdom and beating him up, the CCP’s willingness to breach norms and boundaries seems to be business as usual.
