Beijing softened rhetoric after being attacked repeatedly by the US but critics believes it is only stopgap

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(10 Aug) As the U.S. and China confrontation continues to escalate and expand its scope, China urgently adjusts its strategy - abandoning wolf warrier diplomacy and adopting a more flexible policy. The Chinese media and major propaganda channels have been ordered to change anti-U.S. propaganda slogans to advocate cooperation to achieve a win-win relationship. Many people in the media industry believe that this is only an expedient measureof the Communist Party of China (CCP), and the nature of the CCP has not changed. (Reported by Huang Xiaoshan/Cheng Wen)

After the United States imposed multiple sanctions on China, including the refusal to renew the visa of journalists who based in the United States; restrictions on TikTok and WeChat; and sanctions on 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials involved in the implementation of the National Security Law, the Chinese officials changed their usual tough confrontation approach, but provided a low-key response.

Mr. Li, an overseas state media reporter, told this station that the state media also believed that Party General Secretary Xi Jumping messed up China and US relations and caused the current domestic and foreign difficulties. He revealed that management had issued to cool down the fierce China and US public opinion war that has been going on for several months. Also prohibit verbal abuse and attacks on the United States, especially using rumor to attack the United States, so as not to trigger a greater backlash. When communicating the orders, officials of the Propaganda Department also emphasized the importance to defuse the aggressive offensive from the Trump administration.

Mr. Li also mentioned that even though there was no written communication, the order was received. He continued, "any cursing about the United States will be masked. What I believe in is that China is only strong in appearance but weak in reality. If you can't win, you can only subdue it.  In China, anyone with half a brain knows that it is definitely a disadvantage to stir up the United States.To put it bluntly again, it is the idiot Party General Secretary Xi Jumping who constantly makes empty threats. Without this idiot, it is impossible to be in this situation".

According to reports, a number of media and self-media that belong to large foreign propaganda have also received instructions to stop posting attacks on the United States. They were warned that if the order is violated, the Propaganda Department will cancel the remuneration and bonuses they earned in the previous week.

In addition, the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency published an article written by Jiechi Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, saying that we must respect history, face the future, and unswervingly maintain and stabilize the China-US relations.  Even the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chunying Hua, who has always been tough in style, posted in English on Twitter last Saturday (8 Aug), saying that, "we must respect history, look to the future, and firmly maintain and stabilize the China-US relations".

The writer Siling Luo pointed out that the sudden change of Hua's words could not be her personal will but the direction from the government. However, Luo reminded the readers that even though the official tone has softened, it does not mean that the Chinese government has changed its policy. It is merely an expedient measure under the current crisis.

Luo said, "Hua's Twitter style has changed. This change in style from the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not from the will of the writer but from the will of the government. I don't think the nature of the Chinese government has changed. The change in strategy is merely because they are currently encountering a tough opponent who is constantly attacking. They want to keep a low profile for a while and see if the situation has changed. In fact, this is a consistent practice of the Communist Party".

Luo also pointed out that the CCP's sudden change of tone was only towards the US. CCP currently adopted an even more aggressive approach to the United Kingdom and European countries.

Ms. Hu, a writer who is closely study the Chinese government system, told our reporter that she and those in the system have felt that after Xi Jinping came to power, China's diplomacy, speech freedom, and people's livelihood have completely regressed. And with the outbreak of the COVID-19, social conflicts have reached a critical point.

Ms. Hu said, "it is very dangerous to only have one voice, and it feels particularly obvious these two years. I feel that China has reached a level of powerlessness. It is not only my personal concern, but also those who are close to the government. In fact, the government officials who were born in the 70s and 80s understands that if China-US relations go down, there will only be harm but no benefit. Then, because of the outbreak of the COVID-19, the feeling of despair of the lower class people complicated the situation".

Our Mandarin news group recently received reports that Chinese internet commentators, commonly known as "59 Cent Army," have recently received a request from their superiors to stop anti-Americanism and promote a win-win situation for China and the United States.

Our reporter tried to interview the National Cyberspace Administration of China regarding the order, but the agency’s spokesperson did not reply to our request.

Source: Radio Free Asia

Transited by: Hong Kong Echo

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