Book Talk | China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy

In this webinar we will talk with author Peter Martin whose new book, “China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy,” tells the story of China’s transformation from an isolated and impoverished communist state to a global superpower from the perspective of its diplomats.

In the early days of the People’s Republic, diplomats were highly disciplined, committed communists who feared revealing any weakness to the threatening capitalist world. Remarkably, the model that leader Zhou Enlai established continues to this day, despite the massive changes the country has undergone in recent decades and the increasingly contentious Wolf Warrior diplomatic style promulgated from the highest echelons.

China’s Civilian Army charts the history of China’s diplomatic corps from its earliest days through to the present, drawing on the memoirs of more than a hundred retired diplomats and dozens of interviews.

This event is produced by the Washington State China Relations Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profitable charitable organization which is a sister organization of the Washington State China Relations Council, in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Tacoma.

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AUTHOR

Peter Martin is a political reporter for Bloomberg News. He has written extensively on escalating tensions in the U.S.-China relationship and reported from China’s border with North Korea and its far-western region of Xinjiang. He previously worked for the consultancy APCO Worldwide in Beijing, New Delhi, and Washington, where he analyzed politics for multinational companies. In Washington, he served as chief of staff to the company’s global CEO. His writing has been published by outlets including Foreign Affairs, National Interest, The Guardian, The Jamestown China Brief, The Diplomat, and The Christian Science Monitor. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, Peking University, and the London School of Economics.

MODERATOR

 Nor Coquillard is the Executive Director of the Washington State China Relations Council.  Nor served as a business executive in Asia running the operations of Cargill, Incorporated in Korea, Japan and China from the mid 1980’s until 2010. During that time, he held numerous positions in business associations including serving as the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai for several years. Nor is on the International Advisory Council of the global consulting firm, APCO and is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.