Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the removal of Qin Gang, China’s foreign minister, and the status of the so-called wolf-warrior diplomats. Behind these recent events, especially those involving the diplomats, are changes that have taken place at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the past few years.
In the People’s Republic of China, diplomats with many foreign contacts are often suspected of engaging in espionage. This suspicion has increased under Xi Jinping, who emphasizes “national security” and fears color revolutions. In 2019, Party Secretary Zhang Yesui of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was replaced by Qi Yu, who had no diplomatic experience. Qi was appointed “Party Secretary,” which essentially made him the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This change reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s direct jurisdiction over all organizations under the State Council. One of the vice ministers at the ministry at the time of Qi’s appointment was Qin Gang.
Under Qi’s leadership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began conducting “study sessions” and required staff to adhere to Xi Jinping Thought and Party policy. This was backed by “discipline inspections” by the Fifth Central Inspection Teams, which evaluated the ministry and found it lacking in its adherence to Xi Jinping Thought and Party policy. This led to the implementation of new initiatives, systems, and rules by the end of 2020.
These new systems and rules govern the words and actions of Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees and ambassadors abroad, aligning with the trend of creating detailed rules to make organizations rigid. Diplomats are now expected to spread Xi Jinping diplomatic thought to the world, rather than conduct traditional diplomacy.
Qi Yu has also made statements about ideology and diplomacy, claiming that the Western model of modernization is wrong and promoting the idea that the Chinese model is universal. As a result, it seems that there is now limited flexibility in China’s approach to the West.
These changes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are unlikely to reverse in the near future, making it increasingly important for international partners to engage with Chinese leaders through politicians rather than diplomats.
KAWASHIMA Shin is a professor at the University of Tokyo.