Since 2016, China’s diplomatic strategy was to become more aggressive, more confrontational and even more antagonistic in answering criticisms of China’s domestic and foreign policies. It was a sudden shift when it was reported a few days ago that President Xi Jinping wanted to create a more “trustworthy, respectable and loveable image” for China. This news would have been met with disbelief and even attacked as Western propaganda, except that it was reported by a state agency, the Xinhua News Agency, which said that the statement came from President Xi himself.

Cruz, E. S. (2021, June 6). Will China try to change image?. The Philippine Star, p. 9.