Retirement of China's chief provocateur signals course correction

Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin was equivalent to a three-star general

Dave Sharma

January 17, 2022 05:00 JST

A screen shows an image of Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing: 2022 will be a year of recalibration for China's foreign policy. © Reuters

Dave Sharma is a member of Australia's House of Representatives. He chairs the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties.

When Hu Xijin stepped down as editor of the Global Times last month, China's most combative propaganda outlet, accompanying reports in official media stated Beijing was keen to "strengthen [the paper's] political guidance."