China’s preeminent “wolf warrior diplomat,” foreign ministry troll Zhao Lijian, appears to have rabies.

That, or he’s suffering from some other malady which manifests aggressive ranting. Formerly the press officer in Pakistan, Zhao Lijian is now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s chief spokesman. In that role, Zhao is expected to advance the Communist Party’s foreign interests and promote China’s global reputation. Zhao is not, to put it mildly, succeeding. Close to China’s primary intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security, this young man has always been a hard-liner. Something most of Beijing’s Standing Committee value greatly, even if Xi Jinping has his doubts.