There has been a lot of talk about frogs in Chinese online discussions following the G7 summit. Over the past week, the G7 summit, that was held in Hiroshima from 19 to 21 May, was criticized in Chinese newspaper headlines and by official media accounts, while China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the G7 of “smearing” and “attacking” China.

The G7 was called a “failure” on the China Daily front page of May 22. On the same day, Global Times called the summit “manipulative” in its front page headline and suggested the Group of Seven had descended into an “anti-China workshop” in its op-ed, which featured an illustration by Liu Rui that showed the seven nations in a boat, not cooperating and barely moving.

The Global Times op-ed, including the cartoon by Li Rui. Source: Global Times.

But perhaps the most noteworthy criticism on the G7 summit came from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying (华春莹).

On her official Twitter account (@SpokespersonCHN) Hua lashed out against the G7 and its participating nations in a series of tweets in which she condemned the summit as hypocritical, deceptive, and biased, while highlighting China’s contributions to global economic growth.

Some of the tweets posted by Hua Chunying in response to the Group of Seven “attacking” and “slandering” China.

The Chinese condemnation of the G7 is a direct response to the G7 Communiqué and to the summit’s supposed “hype around China-related issues.”

During the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the participating nations expressed growing concerns about China’s expanding global influence. The summit’s official statement emphasized the need to “de-risk” rather than “de-couple” from China in their relationship. The statement mentioned China 20 times, a significant increase from the 14 mentions in 2022.

The discussions focused on various aspects related to China, including its relations with Taiwan, human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet, interference in democratic institutions, and responses to Russia’s military aggression.

Prior to the summit, President Emmanuel Macron of France made it clear through one of his advisers that the G7 was not an ‘anti-Chinese’ coalition. However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom went beyond the official statement, emphasizing the significant threat posed by China to global security. Speaking to reporters at the G7 meeting, Sunak stated that “China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity. They are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.”

From China’s perspective, the Group of Seven is unwilling to go beyond their own distorted world view in which China is labeled a threat. And so, in one of Hua’s tweets, she posted an image showing a frog on the bottom a well, looking up to the sky and wondering: “G7 = world?”

The image tweeted out by Hua Chunying on 22 May, 2023. Source: Twitter.com.

The depiction of a frog in the well is a direct reference to the well-known fable by philosopher Zhuangzi about a frog in a well who does not believe it when a turtle tells him that the world is bigger than the view from the well. The frog stubbornly denies the existence of the wider world and asserts that nothing lies beyond what he can see. The fable has given rise to Chinese idioms such as “the frog at the bottom of the well” (井底之蛙) and “looking at the sky from the bottom of the well” (坐井观天). These idioms are commonly used to describe those who exhibit ignorance and resist broadening their understanding beyond their limited perspective.

Hua’s frog-tweet and others were also shared on Weibo by state media outlet China Daily, which initiated the hashtags “Hua Chunying Fires Back with Series of Tweets to Counter G7’s Smear Campaign Against China” (#华春莹连发多条推特回击G7抹黑中国言论#) and “Hua Chunying Uses Frog at Bottom of Well to Hit Back at G7’s Smearing Remarks” (#华春莹用井底之蛙回击G7抹黑言论#).

One nationalistic Weibo blogging account (@大大大餅乾丶) shared additional images of frogs, including one with a frog adorned with an American flag and the word “independence” written on its forehead. The blogger pointed out that some groups in Taiwan believed that Hua’s frog tweet was directed at Taiwan, stating: “It seems like their self-awareness is right on point.”

Post by Weibo account @大大大餅干丶, including the frog image. (Source: Weibo.com).

The connection between the frog idiom and Taiwan is not unfounded. In August 2022, during Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan, an illustration depicting a frog leisurely relaxing in a hotpot while the US increased the heat and mainland China held the lid also went viral online.

Illustration by Kokita Chang, circulating on Weibo in August of 2022.

Meanwhile, on Weibo, many praised Hua’s sharp criticism of the way in which China was targeted during the G7 talks and embraced the frog analogy. “One a frog, always a frog,” some wrote.

Other state media outlets, including Global Times, also reported about Hua’s tweets and argued that that the G7 is purposely hyping the “China treat” theory (中国威胁论). The louder their anti-China rhetoric is, the less impact it has, the article argues.

Other commenters, however, seemed to note some irony in the frog analogy. One blogger argued that since the frog in the image himself wonders if the G7 is really the entire world, he actually already does not have such a limited worldview. Several Weibo users wondered who the frog actually represented, suggesting it could either be the G7, Taiwan, or mainland China itself.

Within this context, some individuals expressed curiosity about Hua Chunying’s choice to post the original message on the American Twitter platform, which is inaccessible within mainland China. They humorously remarked, “Twitter? What is Twitter?”

By Manya Koetse & Zilan Qian

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On April 26th, Chinese state media outlet CCTV posted a lengthy post on Weibo about the much-anticipated phone call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to CCTV, the main point of the conversation was to exchange views on China-Ukrainian relations – based on “mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity” – and the war in Ukraine.

The phone call is especially noteworthy because it is the first Xi-Zelensky conversation since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The phone call came after a number of noteworthy international developments, including Xi’s visit to Moscow in late March, French President Macron’s China visit in April, and that of Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

The momentous conversation also took place shortly after comments made by Lu Shaye (卢沙野), the Chinese ambassador to France, caused controversy. Last week, Lu questioned the independence of former Soviet countries like Ukraine in an interview with French television network LCI. He commented on Crimea being Russian and suggested that former Soviet countries have no “effective status” in international law. The interview sparked controversy and anger among former Soviet countries Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, and other European countries.

Meanwhile, on the Chinese side, the Foreign Ministry stated it respects the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states. Various voices argued that Lu Shaye’s words were taken out of context and were the effect of a certain Western media strategy (see the take by Chinese scholar Zheng Ruolin here and that of commentator Hu Xijin here). However, Lu Shaye’s remarks regarding post-Soviet nations could have increased the urgency for Xi to reach out to Zelensky via phone.

Putting Out the Fire

One sentence from the phone call that was highlighted by Chinese state media and which was turned into a social media hashtag was that of how China “will neither watch the fire from across the river nor pour oil on the fire” (#我们既不会隔岸观火也不会拱火浇油#).

While the sentence reiterates China’s supposed neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conversation between Xi and Zelensky also signalled China’s desire to take on the role as a responsible global power and international peacemaker.

CCTV reported that China will insist on urging for peace and make its own efforts to stop the war. China reportedly will send an envoy (Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs/中国政府欧亚事务特别代表) to Ukraine and “other countries” to help seek a political settlement in the crisis through in-depth discussions with all parties.

Chinese official reports on the call also emphasized how Zelenskiy congratulated President Xi Jinping on his re-election and that Ukraine adheres to the one-China policy, hoping to “open a new chapter in Sino-Ukrainian relations and work together to maintain world peace and stability.”

Direct News headlined that the US was “sour” over China’s conversation with Ukraine.

News of the call was posted and promoted on Chinese social media by various media accounts. Direct News (直新闻) by Shenzhen Media Group even called the Xi-Zelensky call “the most significant international news of the entire week.”

The same media outlet also said that the U.S. response to the Xi-Zelensky call was “somewhat sour.” White House spokesman John Kirby called it “a good thing” but also said it was too early to know whether it would lead to “some sort of meaningful peace movement, or plan or proposal”.

Although most Chinese media accounts reporting on the phone call on Weibo had their comment sections turned off – leaving no room for online discussions, – pundit and former Global Times chief editor Hu Xijin also posted a lengthy commentary on Weibo about the issue on April 27th, which received over 900 (selected) replies.

Hu stressed the important role China has in a world where it is the only major country that maintains friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, with both leaders willing to listen to China’s views. Neverthless, Hu wrote that there is still a long road ahead for peace to be achieved.

Hu also suggested that Washington is playing a negative role in reaching a political settlement of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The US has not shown “true willingness to push for a ceasefire” and moreover is also “utilizing the war for its own strategic objectives,” according to Hu.

In the comment section, many discussions were also focused on the role of the US. “They don’t want a ceasefire,” some wrote.

There were also other commenters who suggested that the key to solving the war in Ukraine eventually is not up to the US, nor to China, but to Russia and Ukraine alone.

Some still have the hope that China can make a difference in achieving peace: “China can do what other countries cannot. When it comes to it [reaching peace], we can do it.”

By Manya Koetse

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