Zhao Lijian

In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhao.
Zhao Lijian
赵立坚
Deputy Director of the Boundary and Ocean Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 January 2023
DirectorHong Liang
Deputy Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In office
August 2019 – 9 January 2023
DirectorHua Chunying
Personal details
Born (1972-11-10) 10 November 1972 (age 51)
Luannan County, Hebei, China[1]
Political partyChinese Communist Party (1996–present)[2]
Alma materChangsha Railway College (UG)
Korea Development Institute (MPP)
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese赵立坚
Traditional Chinese趙立堅
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhào Lìjiān

Zhao Lijian (Chinese: 赵立坚; pinyin: Zhào Lìjiān; born 10 November 1972) is a Chinese civil servant who has been serving as deputy director of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China since January 2023.

He joined the foreign service in 1996. Zhao became notable for his outspoken use of Twitter when he served as an envoy-level attaché at the Embassy of China in Pakistan from 2015 to 2019. From 2019 and 2023, he served as deputy director of the Information Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 31st spokesperson of the Ministry. He has been described as a prominent wolf warrior diplomat during his tenure. In January 2023, Zhao was removed from the office as one of the ministry's spokespeople and was appointed as deputy director of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Early life and education

[edit]

Zhao Lijian was born in Luannan County, Tangshan, Hebei in November 1972. He studied at Luannan County No. 1 Middle School.[3][1]

Zhao graduated from Changsha Railway College (merged to form Central South University) with a major in foreign language studies.[4]

When he served as a first secretary at the Embassy of China in the United States, he enrolled at the Korea Development Institute from February to December 2005 and received a master's degree in public policy.[5]

Career

[edit]

Zhao joined the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in 1996 as a section member. He was transferred abroad and served as staff member and third secretary at the Embassy of China in Pakistan from 2003 to 2009. He served as first secretary at the Embassy of China in the United States from 2009 and 2013.[5][6]

Zhao returned to Beijing in 2013, and served as a first secretary and an office director at the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2015. He then served as an envoy-level attaché at the Embassy of China in Pakistan in Islamabad from 2015 to 2019.[7]

Zhao was recalled to Beijing in August 2019, and served as deputy director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from August 2019 to January 2023.[8][3] Zhao was one of the most prominent wolf warrior diplomats.[9]: 121 

Zhao was then transferred to the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs,[10] and has been serving as deputy director of the department since January 2023.[11] Media reported his transfer as part of China's rethinking of wolf warrior diplomacy.[12][13][14]

Statements and controversies

[edit]

During his second tenure at the Embassy of China in Pakistan from 2015 to 2019, Zhao used the name "Muhammad Lijian Zhao" on his official Twitter account, but he dropped "Muhammad" in 2017 after there were reports that China banned several Islamic names in Xinjiang.[15] Zhao became well known for his frequent use of Twitter to criticize the United States, including on topics such as race relations and the United States foreign policy in the Middle East.[16][17] Paired with his press conference statements, he has established a "long history of provocative assertions."[18]

The Chinese Communist Party puts a high premium on information management, and Zhao used press conferences and Twitter to direct information and reach China's strategic goals.[19][20] Although it had been banned in China in 2009, Zhao joined Twitter in 2010, becoming one of the first envoys of the Chinese government to use the social media platform.[21][22] By the end of 2020, Zhao had 780,000 followers,[23] further reaching 1.9 million by 2023. Since his reassignment to the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs in January 2023, Zhao has posted much less frequently on Twitter.[24]

"Racist" Washington exchange

[edit]
Zhao's tweets on race in Washington, D.C. were directly challenged by former National Security Adviser, Susan Rice

In 2019 Zhao tweeted, "If you're in Washington, D.C., you know the white never go to the SW area, because it's an area for the black & Latin. There's a saying 'black in & white out'", to which Susan Rice, National Security Adviser to Barack Obama, responded: "You are a racist disgrace. And shockingly ignorant too."[25][26] Zhao returned the insults, calling Rice "a disgrace" and "shockingly ignorant" in a tweet as well as calling her accusation of racism "disgraceful and disgusting." Although Zhao stood by the tweets, he deleted them.[27] The dispute raised his profile in Beijing.[28][16]

COVID-19 suggestions and conspiracy theories

[edit]
Further information: COVID-19 misinformation by China and Chinese government response to COVID-19

On 5 March 2020, Zhao gave a press conference in Beijing and responded to an American TV host's demand that the Chinese should "formally apologize" for the novel coronavirus pandemic. Zhao stated that: "The announcement is absurd and ridiculous, which fully exposes his arrogance, prejudice and ignorance of China... [t]he H1N1 flu outbreak in the United States in 2009 spread to 214 countries and regions and killed at least 18,449 people that year. Has anyone asked the United States to apologize?" He went on to say, "no conclusion has been reached yet on the origin of the virus, as relevant tracing work is still underway."[29][30] From here Zhao turned to Twitter.

On 9 March he condemned United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for using the term "Wuhan virus".[citation needed] Zhao retweeted Americans who were accusing Republicans of racism and xenophobia.[31] On 12 March Zhao, without asking for permission from his superiors,[32] appeared to promote a conspiracy theory that the United States military could have brought the novel coronavirus to China,[33][34][31][35][36] tweeting first in English and separately in Chinese:

When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation![37][38]

The allegation was apparently linked to the United States' participation at the 2019 Military World Games held in Wuhan in October,[35] two months before any reported outbreaks.[38] Zhao accompanied his post with a video of Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, addressing a US Congressional committee on March 11.[33] Redfield had said some Americans who had seemingly died from influenza later tested positive for the new coronavirus.[37] Redfield did not say when those people had died or over what time period.[33] Zhao also linked to article from the Centre for Research on Globalization[31] which BuzzFeed News claimed was part of "a bevy of misinformation about the coronavirus... covered by Global Times, that claimed the virus began in late November somewhere else than Wuhan."[31] The US State Department summoned Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai on March 13 to protest about Zhao's comments.[38][39]

During an interview on Axios on HBO, Cui distanced himself from Zhao's comments and said speculating about the origin of the virus was "harmful".[39] In April 2020, Zhao defended his tweets, saying his posts were "a reaction to some U.S. politicians stigmatizing China a while ago."[40] In July 2021, Zhao commented that the plan on WHO's 2nd phase study was "at odds with the position of China" and other countries, adding, "Why can't origins study be conducted in the U.S. just as in China?"[41] Reportedly, Zhao's actions and conducts created divisions within the Foreign Ministry, with many supporting it while others opposing it.[42]

On August 11, 2021, Zhao Lijian posted a tweet supporting the Chinese conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2 virus was developed by the United States military at Fort Detrick.[43]

Treatment of Uyghur people

[edit]
Further information: Persecution of Uyghurs in China

Following the leak of the China Cables via The New York Times the Chinese government has come under Western Media's and government's criticism for its treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang internment camps (since 2017)[44] as methods of confronting Islamist terrorism in Xinjiang[45] led by Turkistan Islamic Party. Zhao has used media statements and Twitter to defend Beijing's treatment of the minority group.[46] Associated Press claimed that authorities in China were using forced birth control amongst Uyghur people, whilst encouraging larger families of Han Chinese.[47] Zhao dismissed the findings of AP as "baseless" and showed "ulterior motives."[48] He turned attention back on the media, accusing outlets of "cooking up false information on Xinjiang-related issues".[48]

In November 2020, Pope Francis named China's Uyghur minority among a list of the world's persecuted peoples. Zhao retorted that the Pope's words had "no factual basis".[49] In January 2021, Zhao responded to questions about a Uyghur genocide during a press briefing by stating, "China has no genocide; China has no genocide; China has no genocide, period."[50][51]

Five Eyes

[edit]

On 19 November 2020, the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group said China's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong appeared to be part of a campaign to silence critics and called on Beijing to reverse course.[52] Responding to this, Zhao said that "No matter if they have five eyes or 10 eyes, if they dare to harm China's sovereignty, security and development interests, they should beware of their eyes being poked and blinded".[53]

Brereton Report

[edit]
The digitally-created image Peace Force (和平之师) by cartoonist Wuheqilin

On 30 November 2020, Zhao posted on his personal Twitter account "Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts, &call [sic] for holding them accountable", accompanied with an image of an Australian soldier who appears to hold a bloodied knife against the throat of an Afghan child.[54][55] The image, originally created by the Chinese internet political cartoonist Wuheqilin (乌合麒麟), is believed to be a reference to the Brereton Report, which had been released earlier by the Australian government that month, and which details war crimes committed by the Australian Defence Force during the War in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016, including the throat-slitting of two 14-year-old Afghan boys, and its subsequent cover-up by the Australian military.[56][57][58] Later that day, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a press conference, calling the image "offensive" and "truly repugnant",[59] demanding a formal apology from the Chinese government and requesting Twitter to remove the tweet. China rejected the demands for an apology on the following day,[60] while Twitter also refused Morrison's request to remove Zhao Lijian's tweet.[61] The artist behind the illustration said it was created "as a metaphor".[62] Eventually, Morrison called for stopping further amplification of the incident,[63][64] and to seek conciliation.[65] The incident had the effect of unifying Australian politicians in condemning China across party lines, while also drawing attention to the Brereton Report.[57] It was further seen as a sign of deteriorating relations between Australia and China.[66]

The New Zealand and French governments voiced support for the Australian government and criticised Zhao's Twitter post,[67][68][69] while the Russian government stated that "the circumstances make us truly doubt the genuine capacity of Australian authorities to actually hold accountable all the servicemen who are guilty of such crimes".[70] The Chinese embassy in Paris criticized the French government's position as hypocrisy, and argued that Chinese artists have the right to caricature, referencing the French government's defense of the Charlie Hebdo caricatures. A spokesperson for the US State Department likewise accused the Chinese foreign ministry of hypocrisy for using Twitter at all when it is blocked in China.[71] The Taiwanese government expressed concern about the Chinese foreign ministry's use of a manipulated image in an official tweet.[72] A week after the tweet an Israeli cybersecurity firm concluded that they had found "evidence of a largely orchestrated disinformation campaign" aimed at spreading the tweet and China's viewpoint. The firm concluded that of the Twitter accounts which had augmented proliferation of the image, "half were likely fake."[73][74]

Echoing Russian disinformation about Ukraine

[edit]
Further information: Disinformation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory

In March 2022, amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zhao Lijian said during a press conference that "the US' biological laboratories in Ukraine have aroused great concern". He echoed Russian media reports saying that Russia has found out that the US was using such facilities for "bio-military plans".[75][76] However, such claims, which circulated in Russian media since at least 2018, were previously debunked as part of Russian disinformation campaign against Ukraine.[77][78] Britain's Defense Ministry said: "These narratives are long standing but are currently likely being amplified as part of a retrospective justification for Russia's invasion of Ukraine". Bloomberg News called it a "conspiracy theory". Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Department of Defense has worked with Ukraine and other former satellites of the USSR to secure and take apart remnant weapons of mass destruction under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which involved delivery system dismantlement and tasks pertaining to chemical and biological weapons.[79][76]

Zhao said that "As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the US has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion" since 1999, and the near doubling of NATO membership pushed "Russia to the wall step by step."[80]

Taiwan

[edit]
Main article: 2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan

In July 2022, Zhao warned that Nancy Pelosi should not travel to Taiwan, and threatened the Chinese government would be "seriously prepared" for her travel.[81] When asked about what that meant, Zhao said that "If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract" and that "The United States should be held responsible for any serious consequences."[81] On 1 August 2022, Zhao threatened that the Chinese military would not "sit idly by" if Pelosi were to go to Taiwan.[82] Zhao stated that "We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity."[83]

2022 COVID-19 protests

[edit]
Main article: 2022 COVID-19 protests in China

In November 2022, after being asked about COVID-19 protests in China that were linked to the 2022 Ürümqi fire, Zhao said "On social media, there are forces with ulterior motives that relate this fire with the local response to COVID-19."[84]

Personal life

[edit]

Zhao is married to Tang Tianru.[85][86] According to reports, Tang traveled to Germany when China was under strict travel curbs, triggering an outrage on social media.[86] In December 2022, Tang posted that Zhao was COVID-19 positive, but was unable to get medication.[86]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Martin, Peter (2021). China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197513705.001.0001. ISBN 9780197513705.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Luannan ren chule yiwei yinghe waijiaoguan, sanjuhua ling Meiguo yakouwuyan" 滦南人出了一位硬核外交官，三句话令美国哑口无言 [Person from Luannan becomes hardline diplomat, leaving the United States speechless in three sentences]. The Paper (in Chinese (China)). 28 March 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  2. ^ "CV of Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian". Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  3. ^ a b Huang, Yuqin (24 February 2020). "Waijiaobu xinren fayanren Zhao Lijian liangxiang xi zishen waijiaoguan lüli fengfu" 外交部新任发言人赵立坚亮相 系资深外交官履历丰富 [New Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian makes his debut, an experienced diplomat with a strong resume]. China News Service (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. ^ "热烈庆祝中南大学合并组建12 周年" (PDF). Central South University. 2012-04-25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  5. ^ a b "CV of Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  6. ^ Martin 2021, p. 238.
  7. ^ "外交部新任发言人赵立坚亮相--国际--人民网". world.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  8. ^ Yue, Huairang (23 August 2019). "Zhao Lijian churen Waijiaobu xinwensi fusizhang" 赵立坚出任外交部新闻司副司长 [Zhao Lijian appointed Deputy Director of Foreign Ministry Information Department]. The Paper (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  9. ^ Loh, Dylan M.H. (2024). China's Rising Foreign Ministry: Practices and Representations of Assertive Diplomacy. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9781503638204.
  10. ^ "The Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs". www.fmprc.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  11. ^ "China 'wolf warrior' diplomatic spokesperson Zhao moves to new role". Reuters. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  12. ^ "Controversial China Diplomat Zhao Shifted From High-Profile Role". Bloomberg News. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  13. ^ "China demotes 'Wolf Warrior' diplomat". Independent.co.uk. 10 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Prominent Chinese 'wolf warrior' diplomat moved to obscure role". Financial Times. 9 January 2023.
  15. ^ Taylor, Adam (July 15, 2019). "A Chinese diplomat had a fight about race in D.C. with Susan Rice on Twitter. Then he deleted the tweets". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Smith, Ben (2 December 2019). "Meet The Chinese Diplomat Who Got Promoted For Trolling The US On Twitter". BuzzFeed News. Beijing. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  17. ^ Churchill, Owen (24 August 2019). "Chinese diplomat Zhao Lijian, known for his Twitter outbursts, is given senior foreign ministry post". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  18. ^ Rej, Abhijnan. "Australia Livid as Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tweets Offensive Image". thediplomat.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  19. ^ DiResta, Renée (2020-04-11). "For China, the 'USA Virus' Is a Geopolitical Ploy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  20. ^ "Tweet storm shows China aims to project power through provocation". The Strategist. 2020-12-08. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  21. ^ "China blocks Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Hotmail ahead of Tiananmen anniversary". The Guardian. 2009-06-02. Archived from the original on 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  22. ^ "Twitter has become a new battleground for China's wolf-warrior diplomats | Jing Zeng". The Guardian. 2020-12-02. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  23. ^ Winning, David (2020-11-30). "Chinese 'Wolf Warrior' Diplomat Enrages Australia With Twitter Post". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  24. ^ Kelter, Frederik (26 December 2023). "China looks for the diplomatic 'sweet spot' between panda and wolf". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  25. ^ Kuo, Lily (17 July 2019). "China's envoys try out Trump-style Twitter diplomacy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  26. ^ Zhou, Laura (4 August 2019). "Chinese officials discover Twitter. What could possibly go wrong?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  27. ^ Taylor, Adam. "A Chinese diplomat had a fight about race in D.C. with Susan Rice on Twitter. Then he deleted the tweets". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  28. ^ Zhai, Keith; Tian, Yew Lun (31 March 2020). "In China, a young diplomat rises as aggressive foreign policy takes root". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  29. ^ Hall, Louise (12 March 2020). "Coronavirus conspiracy theory that Covid-19 originated in US spreading in China". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  30. ^ "China Destroyed Incriminating Documents on Gross Mishandling of Wuhan Virus". Japan Forward. January 11, 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  31. ^ a b c d "Chinese Diplomats Are Pushing Conspiracy Theories That The Coronavirus Didn't Originate In China". BuzzFeed News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  32. ^ Martin 2021, p. 242.
  33. ^ a b c Wescott, Ben; Jiang, Steven (14 March 2020). "Chinese diplomat promotes conspiracy theory that US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  34. ^ Rupakjyoti Borah (May 13, 2020). "Why China's 'Wolf Warrior Diplomacy' Will Backfire". Japan Forward. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  35. ^ a b Zheng, Sarah (13 March 2020). "Chinese foreign ministry spokesman tweets claim US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  36. ^ Finnegan, Connor (14 March 2020). "False claims about sources of coronavirus cause spat between the US, China". ABC News. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  37. ^ a b Yew, Lun Tian; Lee, Se Young; Crossley, Gabriel (13 March 2020). "China sidesteps spokesman's claim of U.S. role in coronavirus outbreak". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  38. ^ a b c Myers, Steven Lee (13 March 2020). "China Spins Tale That the U.S. Army Started the Coronavirus Epidemic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  39. ^ a b Zhou, Viola (23 March 2020). "Coronavirus barbs help nobody, China's Washington ambassador says after 'US army' tweets". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  40. ^ "China Spokesman Defends Virus Tweets Criticized by Trump". Bloomberg. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  41. ^ Tiezzi, Shannon. "China Rejects WHO Call for More Transparency on Origins Probe". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  42. ^ Martin 2021, p. 242-243.
  43. ^ "Wuhan lab leak theory: How Fort Detrick became a centre for Chinese conspiracies". BBC News. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Why Don't We Care About China's Uighur Muslims?". The Intercept. December 29, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  45. ^ Yazici, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Myunghee Lee, and Emir (2020-03-04). "Understanding China's 'preventive repression' in Xinjiang". Brookings. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "China's envoys try out Trump-style Twitter diplomacy". The Guardian. 2019-07-17. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  47. ^ "China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization". AP NEWS. 2020-06-29. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  48. ^ a b "China forcing birth control on Uighurs to suppress population, report says". BBC News. 2020-06-29. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  49. ^ "China dismisses Pope Francis's comments about persecution of Uighurs". The Guardian. 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  50. ^ Shinkman, Paul D. (January 28, 2021). "China Fires Back at Blinken's Condemnation Regarding Uighurs: 'No Genocide – Period'". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  51. ^ Hudson, John (March 10, 2021). "U.S.-China meeting in Alaska to test Biden's balancing act with Beijing". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  52. ^ "'Five Eyes' alliance urges China to end crackdown on Hong Kong legislators". Reuters. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  53. ^ "China says Five Eyes alliance will be 'poked and blinded' over Hong Kong stance". The Guardian. 20 December 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  54. ^ Needham, Kirsty (2020-12-02). "China's WeChat blocks Australian PM in doctored image dispute". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  55. ^ "Chinese artist behind doctored image of Australian soldier says he's ready to make more". www.abc.net.au. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-12-03. Mr Fu created the controversial computer graphic on the evening of November 22
  56. ^ "China and Australia are in a nasty diplomatic spat over a fake tweet — and real war crimes". Vox. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  57. ^ a b Hurst, Daniel; Davidson, Helen; Visontay, Elias (30 November 2020). "Australian MPs unite to condemn 'grossly insulting' Chinese government tweet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  58. ^ Withers, Rachel (2020-12-01). "How China Trolled Australia Into Publicizing Its Own War Crimes". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  59. ^ Needham, Kirsty (30 November 2020). "Australia demands apology from China after fake image posted on social media". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  60. ^ Taipei, Daniel Hurst Helen Davidson in (2020-11-30). "China rejects Australian PM's call to apologise for 'repugnant' tweet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  61. ^ "Twitter rejects call to remove Chinese official's fake Australian troops tweet". France 24. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  62. ^ "China doubles down on criticising Australia over actions in Afghanistan". South China Morning Post. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  63. ^ "'No further amplification' of shocking China tweet, PM urges". The New Daily. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  64. ^ "Don't fuel China anger: ScoMo". PerthNow. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  65. ^ "Australia seeks conciliation with China after dispute over graphic tweet". Los Angeles Times. 2020-12-03. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  66. ^ Julia Hollingsworth (30 November 2020). "Australia demands apology after Chinese official tweets 'falsified image' of soldier threatening child". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  67. ^ Patterson, Jane (1 December 2020). "New Zealand registers concern with China over official's 'unfactual' tweet". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  68. ^ Hurst, Daniel (1 December 2020). "France and New Zealand join Australia's criticism of Chinese government tweet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  69. ^ "Editorial: Use of Fake Photo vs Australia Brings China Diplomacy to New Low". Japan Forward. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  70. ^ Greene, Andrew (2020-11-30). "Russia accused of 'hypocrisy' after attacking Australia over Afghanistan war crimes report". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  71. ^ Zhou, Laura (2 December 2020). "US and France weigh in on bitter China-Australia tweet row over Afghanistan image but Beijing holds firm". SCMP. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  72. ^ Needham, Kirsty (2 December 2020). "China's WeChat blocks Australian PM in doctored image dispute". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  73. ^ "Likely fake accounts propel China tweet that enraged Australia". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  74. ^ Needham, Kirsty Needham (5 December 2020). "China tweet that enraged Australia propelled by 'unusual' accounts, say experts". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  75. ^ "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on March 8, 2022". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  76. ^ a b "China Pushes Conspiracy Theory About U.S. Labs in Ukraine". Bloomberg. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  77. ^ "Are There Pentagon-Controlled Biological Laboratories In Ukraine?". Myth Detector. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  78. ^ Ling, Justin (March 2, 2022). "False Claims of U.S. Biowarfare Labs in Ukraine Grip QAnon". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  79. ^ Bresolin, Justin; Gautam, Jenna (1 June 2014). "Fact Sheet: The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program". Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  80. ^ "China resists tougher Russia response at 'frank' summit with EU". Al Jazeera. 2 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  81. ^ a b "China confirms warnings to U.S. on Pelosi's possible Taiwan visit". Reuters. 2022-07-25. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  82. ^ "Singapore says stable US-China ties crucial as Pelosi keeps mum over Taiwan stop". South China Morning Post. 2022-08-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  83. ^ Baker, Peter (2022-08-01). "U.S. Warns China Not to Turn Pelosi's Expected Trip to Taiwan Into a 'Crisis'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  84. ^ "China blames 'forces with ulterior motives' for linking Urumqi fire to Covid curbs". Le Monde. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  85. ^ "【翻车现场】她在德国明着乐，老公在中国偷着乐，两口子赢麻了". China Digital Times (in Chinese (China)). 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  86. ^ a b c "Policy shift to wife's social media posts: Why China demoted 'wolf warrior' foreign ministry diplomat Zhao Lijian". Firstpost. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zhao_Lijian&oldid=1232871227"