CHINA-DIPLOMACY: GLOBAL TIMES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF HU XIJIN ASKS WHY CHINA HAS NO FRIENDS

A South China Morning Post article (September 9) by Shi Jiangtao observed that as China faces mounting criticism, including over its aggressive diplomacy and initial handling of the outbreak, as its rift with the US worsens, Hu Xijin, Editor-in-Chief of Global Times in an article over the weekend asked: “How come the whole world is China’s enemy? Why is China so isolated?” While Hu Xijin dismissed widespread criticism as misperceptions and Western bias against China, he did admit that Beijing had a “public opinion dilemma” in many parts of the world over the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and the border row with India. Hu Xijin said “China must decide whether to try to get its way as an unencumbered major power, prevailing by dint of its sheer weight and economic strength – but at the risk of strong pushback,” or “Alternatively, China could … accept that the world now has higher expectations of it.”

(Comment: This is seemingly an apparently subtle questioning of the assertive policies being followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.) 






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