I think they're provoking a response so they can "prove" the aggressiveness of authoritarian China or whatever. Then they can publish spicy headlines to sway public opinion
Gotta agree. The spin is something along the lines of "We came to those backwards barbarians with our hands extended in peace, and they swatted us aside for exercising our FREE SPEECH! Clearly it indicates how bellicose and authoritarian they are!"
Maybe intentional self-sabotage for the purposes of manufacturing consent? Or perhaps just simply pandering to their racist countrymen and colleagues. If you're not constantly saying "China bad" you might get mistaken for an evil CCP shill, so its best to set the record straight before you leave.
I feel like it's that last one. If they don't make an anti-China gesture, people might think they are evil authoritarian supporter.
Remember, diplomacy is now only talking to people who agree with you 100% on everything. Otherwise you are expected to walk out of any meetings they have been invited to. My nephew would be a better diplomat than most of these assholes.
Huge contradictions in that they need China but also want to project tough guy energy and seem like they're still relevant on the international stage riding off the legacy of their colonial empires
jesus christ didn't the foreign minister just visited china as well? It seems like a pattern now, foreign official visits china, foreigner complains about some made up bullshit, and the foreign country comes out with some awful imperialist dog-drivel.
to be fair, if i were the little lordling running a troubled, fragmenting island and visiting a global superpower, i would make some kind of announcement about how i'm going over there and really going to stick it to those motherfuckers, expecting to be met with throngs of hooting idiots below the parapet.
and then, once over there and behind closed doors i would tell them they can piss on me for $100 and if they want to kiss me on the lips its $150.