Friday, September 9, 2022

China's Wolf Warrior II and Its Meaning for Africa

 The Conversation published on 1 September 2022 a commentary titled "Wolf Warrior II: What the Blockbuster Movie Tells Us about China's Views on Africa" by Yu Xiang, Shanghai University, and Jinpu Wang, Syracuse University. 

The 2017 film tells the story of an exiled elite Chinese soldier who travels to an unnamed African country and gets caught in the middle of a civil war between government troops and mercenaries.  The hero rescues African and Chinese civilians and defeats the mercenaries.  China is portrayed as a beacon of hope, development, and peace in Africa.

The authors note that it has been five years since the release of Wolf Warrior II.  Yet the nationalism and racism in the film have not faded within China.  Indeed they have grown stronger, especially on social media in China.