‘Wolf warrior’ corralled? Controversial Chinese diplomat is moved from key post

China has transferred a senior diplomat intently related to the International Ministry’s extra confrontational shift in recent times to a brand new position, within the newest signal that Beijing is rethinking its so-called “wolf warrior” strategy.

Zhao Lijian, 50, has been named deputy director of the Division of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, the International Ministry disclosed on its web site Monday. Whereas technically a lateral transfer, the brand new put up is way much less distinguished than the spokesperson’s podium, the place Zhao had since February 2020 change into one in all China’s most distinguished public officers, with virtually 8 million followers on the Weibo social media platform.

The transfer comes lower than two weeks after China’s former ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang — a one-time International Ministry spokesman himself — was named international minister. Qin, 56, has demonstrated a extra conventional, much less social-media-driven strategy and signaled a need to fix ties with nations just like the U.S. and Australia, a few of the most distinguished targets of Zhao’s criticism.