China-Japan row signals new era of ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy

Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, has triggered a diplomatic crisis with China by suggesting that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

Beijing has reacted with an aggressive campaign that ranges from incendiary social media posts to economic retaliation and military pressure.

While such behavior is highly unorthodox in conventional diplomacy, it fits squarely within a familiar feature of China’s foreign policy playbook, the confrontational style known as wolf warrior diplomacy.

During the late 2010s and early 2020s, Chinese diplomats openly attacked foreign governments that Beijing believed had violated China’s core interests or offended its national dignity.

At the same time, China increasingly used its economic and military leverage to pressure critics abroad. This approach, later labeled wolf warrior diplomacy after a patriotic Chinese action film, targeted countries across the globe, including the United States, Australia, and Sweden.

That confrontational phase did not last long. China’s abrasive diplomacy generated widespread backlash, contributing to diplomatic isolation and rising tensions with key partners. Beijing came to recognize that the costs of sustained confrontation often outweighed its benefits.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, China also had strong incentives to stabilize its external environment in order to support economic recovery. As a result, Beijing softened its tone and sought to present itself as a responsible global actor through cooperation on climate change and support for free trade.

The period of restraint now appears to be fading. China’s response to Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks reflects the defining traits of wolf warrior diplomacy, especially the use of public intimidation.

Shortly after her comments, Xue Jian, China’s consul general in Osaka, wrote on X that “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off,” a remark perceived as a threat against the prime minister.

Although China’s foreign ministry later described the post as personal, it also labeled Takaichi’s comments “erroneous” and “dangerous,” reinforcing the message of official disapproval. China’s military warned that any Japanese intervention would carry “a bitter and heavy price,” while state broadcaster China Central Television called Takaichi a “troublemaker.”

Beijing has paired this rhetoric with a coordinated pressure campaign. Chinese travel agencies were reportedly instructed to reduce trips to Japan, and imports of Japanese seafood were suspended while exports of dual-use items and rare earth minerals to Japan were restricted.

Cultural exchanges have also been disrupted, with Japanese concerts canceled and film releases delayed across China. At the same time, Chinese naval activity near Japan has intensified, and fighter jets reportedly locked radar onto Japanese aircraft near Okinawa, a move widely interpreted as a military warning.

These actions suggest that China never truly abandoned wolf warrior diplomacy. Even during Beijing’s more conciliatory phase, the diplomats most closely associated with this confrontational style were not sidelined.

Although they became less visible, many continued to rise within the system, Hua Chunying and Liu Xiaoming, both known for their forceful public statements, now serve as vice foreign minister and special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, respectively.

In early 2025, Lu Shaye, widely known for his combative remarks about Taiwan and Europe, was appointed special representative for European affairs. Their continued prominence signals that Beijing still values this hard-edged approach.

What has changed is how China deploys it. During the first wave of wolf warrior diplomacy, Beijing picked fights on multiple fronts and paid the price in international backlash. This time, it is acting more selectively. Even as it targets Japan aggressively, China has narrowed the scope of confrontation to avoid alienating others.

Beijing reaffirmed its position on Taiwan by sending letters to the United Nations condemning Takaichi’s remarks and by raising the issue with foreign leaders, including President Trump. These efforts appear to have had an effect.

In a subsequent call with Takaichi, Trump reportedly urged restraint rather than offering firm support for Japan, and dozens of countries, including Russia, Cuba, and Serbia, voiced support for China’s stance on Taiwan.

China’s response to Takaichi shows that wolf warrior diplomacy is not disappearing but evolving. Beijing is applying pressure in a more focused manner while working behind the scenes to shape international opinion. However, whether this recalibrated approach will succeed remains uncertain.

Nationalist sentiment at home can easily escape official control, and diplomatic confrontations tend to spread rather than remain contained. For governments that remember how disruptive the earlier phase of wolf warrior diplomacy was, China’s latest posture signals the arrival of a new and potentially more volatile stage in its diplomacy.

Seongeun Lee is a nonresident fellow at the Pacific Forum with more than a decade of experience in public diplomacy and international relations spanning government, think tanks and academic institutions.