Are we witnessing the end of the golden age of Chinese diplomacy? By allowing its diplomats to publicly criticise governments and threaten companies and people with retribution, Beijing has abandoned the diplomatic practices that propelled its rise to a global power In the long run, this will only drive investment from China and undermine the economic development that underpins the Communist Party’s legitimacy by Andrei Lungu

Over the past 40 years, China’s economic rise has been powered by the work, sacrifices and creativity of hundreds of millions of citizens. Yet its rise as a global power has come about thanks to many unsung heroes: its diplomats.

There are no movies, memorials or patriotic recruitment clips dedicated to them, but some of China’s greatest international achievements, from its admission to the United Nations and 

World Trade Organisation

, to the normalisation of relations with the 

United States

 and 

Japan

, were the product of strenuous and interminable behind-the-scenes negotiations, conducted by brilliant diplomats.

These well-trained, highly skilled and soft-spoken envoys made possible China’s reach, winning friends and opening markets in the process.

They carefully took time to build personal connections and trust, listen to interlocutors and dispel misunderstandings, address concerns and find workable compromises. That was the golden era of Chinese diplomacy, where professionalism and discipline were at their highest.

Today, things are changing. Chinese diplomacy is dying, in full public view. It is starting to no longer focus on external audiences, cultivating friends and opening doors, and is instead becoming an appendix of China’s propaganda apparatus, focusing on domestic audiences.

Australia summoned Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye after he called the government’s push for an independent inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic a “political manoeuvre” and suggested there would be economic consequences. Photo: Reuters

Diplomats should prevent or defuse conflicts, not amplify them. While they promote and defend their country’s interests, they are not supposed to publicly fight their host government.

If really necessary, that is the job of the government or other political or non-governmental actors, with diplomats conveying messages behind the scenes while being open and trustworthy partners, proposing alternatives and working out a compromise. If the government or other politicians have to be the “bad cop” to placate the domestic public, diplomats should be the “good cop”.

In Sweden, three parties in parliament called for Chinese ambassador Gui Congyou to be thrown out of the country after he criticised the media and made what the foreign minister called veiled threats. Photo: EPA-EFE

But Chinese diplomats are now 

publicly fighting

 foreign governments, politicians and other stakeholders, from companies to the media, simply to put on a nationalist show for audiences at home.

From 

France

 and 

Australia

, to 

Sweden

 and Brazil, Chinese diplomats are criticising governments, parliaments and ministers, while threatening companies and other 

innocent parties

 with retribution for their governments’ actions, over which they have no control.

All this is happening when, in the post-Covid-19 world, China should be using diplomacy to reassure friends and partners, improve its image, mend ties, prevent ruptures and fight Sinophobia.

Last December, Chinese ambassador Wu Ken warned of “consequences” for Germany if Huawei was excluded, highlighting the economic importance of Germany’s car industry. Photo: EPA-EFE

With such public and unabashed threats against economic activities, in countries from 

Germany

 to Australia, backed by a history of retribution, from 

Norway

 to 

South Korea

, how many companies might decide that tying their fortunes to the Chinese market was a strategic mistake?

With these threats and sanctions on display, how many companies will risk investing millions to enter the Chinese market, when everything can come falling down in the blink of an eye? What honest consultant, no matter how China-friendly, could still advise clients that economic ties to China are worth pursuing, when unpredictable political and geopolitical risks have become the top threat?

With some foreign governments already calling for bringing back production and 

shifting supply chains

 away from China, it makes no strategic sense for Beijing to threaten precisely the companies pondering their future in China.

But for now, this undiplomatic strategy seems appealing at a personal and institutional level. While some Chinese diplomats might honestly be driven by nationalist feelings, others have realised that the best way to advance their careers is by being as aggressive and nationalistic as possible, regardless of the consequences.

And the political leadership in Beijing seems 

eager to promote

 this, believing that it will hype nationalism and shore up support for the Communist Party. In the short term, this might happen. But the bill will eventually have to be paid, and the economic and political costs might end up being too high for China’s current political system.

It might seem impossible today, when China is the rising economic juggernaut, but after years of economic sanctions against foreign companies that played no role in their governments’ decisions – from Covid-19 investigations and 

ties to Taiwan

, to retribution against 

Huawei restrictions

, or a plethora of other perceived offences – China might end up decoupling from Western countries.

Foreign markets will begin to close, companies will dial down or abandon China and investments will dry up. This needs to be said as clearly as possible so that 20 years from now, Beijing cannot say it did not see it coming.

In shortsightedly believing that nationalism will shore up its rule, China’s leadership is jeopardising the nation’s future by undermining the true strength of its 

legitimacy

: successful economic development.

Chinese diplomats have invested untold efforts in mastering foreign languages and immersing themselves in foreign cultures. They live for years away from home and, sometimes, their family. They loyally serve China behind the scenes, with little fanfare or public recognition.

China’s global success is thanks to the generations of such hardworking diplomats. All this work, including that of countless Chinese diplomats who still follow the traditional rule book of diplomacy, is now 

in danger

 because of the shift from diplomacy to propaganda and aggressiveness.

This shift will slowly damage China’s image all over the world, disappoint and drive away its friends and partners, and enable its adversaries. China’s economy will bear the brunt of the consequences, its citizens will ultimately suffer from the rising tide of Sinophobia and, eventually, its leadership will feel the full force of the political whirlwind.

Unless, that is, China remembers what diplomacy is about and its diplomats return to the work they are supposed to do.