The Manly “Sister Hua”: Gendered Communication by Chinese Diplomats

Abstract: This study adopts a gender-sensitive perspective to examine Chinese diplomatic presences and practices in cyberspace. By analysing the gender issues and political communication styles adopted by two Chinese high-profile diplomats, Hua Chunying and Zhao Lijian, this article addresses whether the recent inclusion of women in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the potential to challenge the patriarchal structure of diplomacy that usually devalues femininity in diplomatic norms and practices. A content analysis of sampled tweets (N=1,822) reveals that despite adopting a gender-balanced issue focus, Hua Chunying used minimal feminine communication patterns and exhibited masculine traits of assertiveness, self-reliance, and personal and emotional restraint, communicating in a more masculine manner than her male colleague, Zhao Lijian. Drawing from the findings, the authors propose that Chinese diplomats are navigating multiple structural and contextual boundaries, which emerge at the intersection of masculine norms and practices in diplomacy and China’s increasingly proactive stance on foreign affairs. They also highlight the complexity of the rhetorical effects of having female diplomats on Chinese diplomacy.