The tide of China’s so-called wolf-warrior diplomacy appears to be receding. As significant as the reversal of China’s policy on the containment of COVID-19, is President Xi Jinping’s policy of moving the combative diplomats away from the frontline. The relocation of these ‘wolf warriors’, as some have been demonised by the West, is a major policy shift on the foreign front by Chinese President Xi Jinping that is as consequential to the world as the ending of the zero-tolerance policy on Covid.&nbsp;

With these policy shifts, Beijing is out to win friends and influence people in the capitals of the developed world. China is now, demonstrably, projecting itself as a gentle and non-threatening power. Beijing is all too aware that the impact of the new policy for dealing with Covid has a bearing not only on China’s growth but also on global economic development in 2023; and, the advantage of any beneficial economic outcome cannot be capitalised upon unless it is matched by more sophisticated diplomacy.&nbsp;

It is not just a case of leading personalities of the wolf-warrior phase being moved out of the limelight and reassigned. Equally important is the conspicuous change in the style and language of Chinese diplomats in and towards the developed countries, be it the US and UK or Australia and New Zealand.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These shifts come close on the heels of Xi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali. Predictably enough, the meeting between the world’s Big 2 set the tone for leaders of other developed countries to make nice with Xi with an eye on reviving stalled commerce and economic cooperation.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prominent among those regarded as “wolf-warrior” diplomats is Zhao Lijian, who was the spokesman of China's foreign ministry since 2019. He has been reassigned as Deputy Director General of the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs. In his new job, he would be handling matters related to China’s land and ocean boundaries, which should be noted by New Delhi.&nbsp;

Zhao’s transfer comes at the same time as China’s ambassador to the US, Qin Gang being appointed Foreign Minister in the place of Wang Yi who has been moved up. This is more a change of personality as Qin is more adept at presenting China as a gentle power given to being persuasive and not coercive. Besides, Qin is a close confidant of Xi and more acceptable to the US as an interlocutor. Wang, who is the State Councilor and Member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, remains China’s highest-ranking diplomat.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Even as US-led allies are preoccupied with decoding these moves, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, has attacked Japan and criticised the AUKUS security pact. While Xiao did not pull his punches in targeting Japan, he struck a conciliatory note while referring to the US, the UK and Australia.&nbsp;

The Chinese envoy said that it is “not very long, when you look at history, that Australia was under threat and being attacked and invaded” by Japan. “During the Second World War, Japan invaded Australia, bombed Darwin, killed Australians and treated Australian POWs in a way that is humanly unacceptable,” he said. “And the Japanese government has not apologised for that up to today”.&nbsp;

Doubtless, Japan has been a brutal militarist power and accused of enormous war crimes, especially in this part of the world. Between 1942 and 1943, Japan launched about 100 air raids on Australia, unleashed massive attacks on Darwin and Broome and invaded Australia-controlled New Guinea and Papua.&nbsp;

It is in this context that Xiao warned Australians against becoming too trusting of their former World War II adversary and painted Japan as a greater military threat than China.&nbsp;

However, for decades now, Japan and Australia have been security partners. They are together, along with India, in the US-led Quad, which is avowedly to check China’s rising power in the Asia-Pacific.&nbsp;

Xiao was more nuanced in his remarks on the AUKUS trinity. He said that “China’s not seeking to be an enemy of the United States, neither are we of the United Kingdom, nor are we of Australia so there’s no reason for the three countries to stand together to work on something that’s targeting China as a threat.”&nbsp;

Xiao’s attack on Japan provoked Tokyo’s top envoy to Canberra, Shingo Yamagami to describe China’s military activities around Taiwan as “shocking”, which the former perceives as an attempt to stir hostility between China and Australia.&nbsp;

Whether the change in policies, altered style and tone of diplomacy, along with China’s economy beating the current Covid surge to rebound and boost the global economy, succeed would be a critical test of President Xi’s leadership.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

The tide of China’s so-called wolf-warrior diplomacy appears to be receding. As significant as the reversal of China’s policy on the containment of COVID-19, is President Xi Jinping’s policy of moving the combative diplomats away from the frontline.

The tide of China’s so-called wolf-warrior diplomacy appears to be receding. As significant as the reversal of China’s policy on the containment of COVID-19, is President Xi Jinping’s policy of moving the combative diplomats away from the frontline. The relocation of these ‘wolf warriors’, as some have been demonised by the West, is a major policy shift on the foreign front by Chinese President Xi Jinping that is as consequential to the world as the ending of the zero-tolerance policy on Covid. With these policy shifts, Beijing is out to win friends and influence people in the capitals of the developed world. China is now, demonstrably, projecting itself as a gentle and non-threatening power. Beijing is all too aware that the impact of the new policy for dealing with Covid has a bearing not only on China’s growth but also on global economic development in 2023; and, the advantage of any beneficial economic outcome cannot be capitalised upon unless it is matched by more sophisticated diplomacy. It is not just a case of leading personalities of the wolf-warrior phase being moved out of the limelight and reassigned. Equally important is the conspicuous change in the style and language of Chinese diplomats in and towards the developed countries, be it the US and UK or Australia and New Zealand. These shifts come close on the heels of Xi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali. Predictably enough, the meeting between the world’s Big 2 set the tone for leaders of other developed countries to make nice with Xi with an eye on reviving stalled commerce and economic cooperation. Prominent among those regarded as “wolf-warrior” diplomats is Zhao Lijian, who was the spokesman of China's foreign ministry since 2019. He has been reassigned as Deputy Director General of the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs. In his new job, he would be handling matters related to China’s land and ocean boundaries, which should be noted by New Delhi. Zhao’s transfer comes at the same time as China’s ambassador to the US, Qin Gang being appointed Foreign Minister in the place of Wang Yi who has been moved up. This is more a change of personality as Qin is more adept at presenting China as a gentle power given to being persuasive and not coercive. Besides, Qin is a close confidant of Xi and more acceptable to the US as an interlocutor. Wang, who is the State Councilor and Member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, remains China’s highest-ranking diplomat. Even as US-led allies are preoccupied with decoding these moves, China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, has attacked Japan and criticised the AUKUS security pact. While Xiao did not pull his punches in targeting Japan, he struck a conciliatory note while referring to the US, the UK and Australia. The Chinese envoy said that it is “not very long, when you look at history, that Australia was under threat and being attacked and invaded” by Japan. “During the Second World War, Japan invaded Australia, bombed Darwin, killed Australians and treated Australian POWs in a way that is humanly unacceptable,” he said. “And the Japanese government has not apologised for that up to today”. Doubtless, Japan has been a brutal militarist power and accused of enormous war crimes, especially in this part of the world. Between 1942 and 1943, Japan launched about 100 air raids on Australia, unleashed massive attacks on Darwin and Broome and invaded Australia-controlled New Guinea and Papua. It is in this context that Xiao warned Australians against becoming too trusting of their former World War II adversary and painted Japan as a greater military threat than China. However, for decades now, Japan and Australia have been security partners. They are together, along with India, in the US-led Quad, which is avowedly to check China’s rising power in the Asia-Pacific. Xiao was more nuanced in his remarks on the AUKUS trinity. He said that “China’s not seeking to be an enemy of the United States, neither are we of the United Kingdom, nor are we of Australia so there’s no reason for the three countries to stand together to work on something that’s targeting China as a threat.” Xiao’s attack on Japan provoked Tokyo’s top envoy to Canberra, Shingo Yamagami to describe China’s military activities around Taiwan as “shocking”, which the former perceives as an attempt to stir hostility between China and Australia. Whether the change in policies, altered style and tone of diplomacy, along with China’s economy beating the current Covid surge to rebound and boost the global economy, succeed would be a critical test of President Xi’s leadership. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Spotlight: Changing notes of China’s diplomacy     

In yet another example of China`s debt-trap diplomacy, Kenya has been roped in a deal with a six-month debt repayment holiday worth USD 245 million. The deal was struck a week after the Paris club of creditors, an informal group of creditors offered the same debt-service suspension worth USD 300 million until the end of June 2021.

The African nation has been struggling to meet the repayments, as some of the projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway - built as part of Beijing`s Belt and Road Initiative, are not generating enough income to pay for themselves, South China Morning Post reported. This comes after Kenya was set to make its first repayment on a USD 1.48 billion loans from the Export-Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) that was used to build a railway line from the capital Nairobi to the town of Naivasha in the Central Rift Valley.

According to the rescheduling deal, Kenya will have the next six years to make payments on the suspended debt service costs including a one-year grace period after June 2021. It also obtained six months of debt-service suspension of USD 300 million from Paris Club creditors until the end of June 2021.The Kenyan Finance Ministry said, Kenya, however, will not seek similar suspensions from either multilateral or commercial lenders to safeguard its sovereign rating and its future access to international financial markets.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/south-asia/chinas-debt-trap-is-india-out-of-the-colombo-port-deal-314771" hreflang="en">China's debt trap: Is India out of the Colombo Port deal?</a>

Kenya`s National Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani said the deal with Beijing would give the country "the opportunity and a break on the kind of liquidity that we desire", South China Morning Post reported."We can now use that money to honour our obligations, including continuing to finance the national government and county governments," SCMP quoted Yatani as saying."We are happy to get the feedback that we don`t need to pay now," he said.But critics accuse President Uhuru Kenyatta`s government of saddling future generations with unbearable debt burdens by borrowing more funds from China. The government says borrowing to build the infrastructure will spur economic development.

Citing the National Treasury`s loan register, SCMP reported that Nairobi was supposed to make 30 payments to Exim Bank between Thursday and July 21, 2035. The interest rate had been set at 3 per cent above the benchmark London interbank offered rate.

Repayments on a separate loan of USD 1.6 billion from Exim Bank that Kenya used to build the first phase of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway will become due in July.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/opinions-blogs/is-nepal-falling-into-chinas-debt-trap-302858" hreflang="en">Is Nepal falling into China's debt trap?</a>

Also, repayments on a 50 million yuan (USD 7.7 million) loan for "economic and technical cooperation" are due to begin on April 1, and in September on a 660 million yuan loan used to upgrade Nairobi`s electricity network, SCMP reported. Kenya was due to pay China about USD 499 million by the end of June, according to the World Bank Debtor Reporting System.

Kenya has joined several other African governments seeking China "debt-trap diplomacy."China`s foreign ministry said this month that Beijing had signed payment suspension agreements with 12 African countries and provided waivers on mature interest-free loans for 15 African countries, SCMP reported. Meanwhile, China is Kenya`s largest individual lender having advanced about USD 6.7 billion worth of finance to build roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure as of the end of September

In yet another example of China`s debt-trap diplomacy, Kenya has been roped in a deal with a six-month debt repayment holiday worth USD 245 million. The deal was struck a week after the Paris club of creditors, an informal group of creditors offered the same debt-service suspension worth USD 300 million until the end of June 2021.

In yet another example of China`s debt-trap diplomacy, Kenya has been roped in a deal with a six-month debt repayment holiday worth USD 245 million. The deal was struck a week after the Paris club of creditors, an informal group of creditors offered the same debt-service suspension worth USD 300 million until the end of June 2021. The African nation has been struggling to meet the repayments, as some of the projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway - built as part of Beijing`s Belt and Road Initiative, are not generating enough income to pay for themselves, South China Morning Post reported. This comes after Kenya was set to make its first repayment on a USD 1.48 billion loans from the Export-Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) that was used to build a railway line from the capital Nairobi to the town of Naivasha in the Central Rift Valley. According to the rescheduling deal, Kenya will have the next six years to make payments on the suspended debt service costs including a one-year grace period after June 2021. It also obtained six months of debt-service suspension of USD 300 million from Paris Club creditors until the end of June 2021.The Kenyan Finance Ministry said, Kenya, however, will not seek similar suspensions from either multilateral or commercial lenders to safeguard its sovereign rating and its future access to international financial markets. Also read: China's debt trap: Is India out of the Colombo Port deal? Kenya`s National Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani said the deal with Beijing would give the country "the opportunity and a break on the kind of liquidity that we desire", South China Morning Post reported."We can now use that money to honour our obligations, including continuing to finance the national government and county governments," SCMP quoted Yatani as saying."We are happy to get the feedback that we don`t need to pay now," he said.But critics accuse President Uhuru Kenyatta`s government of saddling future generations with unbearable debt burdens by borrowing more funds from China. The government says borrowing to build the infrastructure will spur economic development. Citing the National Treasury`s loan register, SCMP reported that Nairobi was supposed to make 30 payments to Exim Bank between Thursday and July 21, 2035. The interest rate had been set at 3 per cent above the benchmark London interbank offered rate. Repayments on a separate loan of USD 1.6 billion from Exim Bank that Kenya used to build the first phase of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway will become due in July. Also read: Is Nepal falling into China's debt trap? Also, repayments on a 50 million yuan (USD 7.7 million) loan for "economic and technical cooperation" are due to begin on April 1, and in September on a 660 million yuan loan used to upgrade Nairobi`s electricity network, SCMP reported. Kenya was due to pay China about USD 499 million by the end of June, according to the World Bank Debtor Reporting System. Kenya has joined several other African governments seeking China "debt-trap diplomacy."China`s foreign ministry said this month that Beijing had signed payment suspension agreements with 12 African countries and provided waivers on mature interest-free loans for 15 African countries, SCMP reported. Meanwhile, China is Kenya`s largest individual lender having advanced about USD 6.7 billion worth of finance to build roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure as of the end of September

China's debt-trap diplomacy: Kenya offered 'debt repayment holiday' for 6 months worth $245 million

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Spotlight: Changing notes of China’s diplomacy

China's debt-trap diplomacy: Kenya offered 'debt repayment holiday' for 6 months worth $245 million