“Wolf Warrior” and China’s digital public diplomacy during the COVID-19 crisis

This forum article aims to question the polysemy of China's “wolf warrior public diplomacy”. This expression not only explains China’s current efforts in foreign affairs and the transition of its diplomatic communication strategy from a soft, defensive, and convergent tone to a progressively harsh, offensive, and aggressive one but also allows Beijing to manage and employ nationalist public opinion at the domestic level through the creation of a heroic image in order to disseminate a vision of Chinacentrism, even a Chinese chauvinism. “Wolf warrior” contains a serious nationalist sentiment that provides mechanisms and conditions for the Communist Party of China to maintain its dominant power in Chinese society and conquer discursive power on the international stage.