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大家可以回想一下。一段时间以来，中国同个别国家之间发生了一些事情。但这些事情当中哪一次、哪一件是由中方首先挑衅引起的？哪一次、哪一件是中方在干涉别国内政？哪一次、哪一件是中方在威胁、损害其他国家利益？

无论是将病毒标签化、疫情政治化、中国污名化，还是滥用国家安全名义蛮横打压中国企业、破坏正常人文交流和经贸、科技合作；无论是以所谓人权、民主、自由为名干涉中国内部事务，还是公然违背国际关系基本准则，恶毒攻击中国政治制度甚至动辄实施单边制裁，难道有人能拥有随便诽谤、攻击、抹黑、伤害中国的“权利”，而中方却不能拥有说明事实真相的权利吗？难道一个公民都有依法行使正当防卫的权利，而中国作为主权国家却不能拥有维护自身主权、安全、发展利益和国家荣誉尊严的权利吗？难道有人以“莫须有”罪名对中国口诛笔伐时可以如狼似虎，而中方却只能做“沉默的羔羊”吗？！

我小时候，在中国有一部非常受欢迎的电视剧《霍元甲》，它的主题曲有句歌词写道“因为畏缩与忍让，人家骄气日盛”。从根本上讲，关于“战狼外交”的非议实际上是“中国威胁论”的又一个翻版，是一些人给中国量身定做的一个“话语陷阱”，本质是这些人做惯了“教师爷”，习惯了颐指气使，不习惯有人反驳。他们的目的就是要让中国打不还手、骂不还口，通过给中国扣上这顶帽子，威胁和讹诈中方，让中方放弃说出事实真相的权利。

但这些人应该明白，中国不是一百年前的中国了。中国从不欺凌霸凌他人，但中国人是有原则、有骨气的。中国外交代表和捍卫的是占世界五分之一人口的14亿中国人民的利益和尊严。在事关中国主权、安全、发展利益和国际公平正义等大是大非的原则问题上，中国外交必须坚决有力回击一切恶意挑衅，有力捍卫国家利益与尊严，维护国际公平与正义。

我想强调指出，中国始终坚持独立自主的和平外交政策。咄咄逼人从来不是我们的外交传统。但是，卑躬屈膝也不是中国人的气节。面对霸权霸凌，毛泽东同志早就讲过，“人不犯我，我不犯人，人若犯我，我必犯人”。中国不主动惹事，但也不怕事，不会被胁迫讹诈。如果有些人因为中国面对毫无底线的攻击、抹黑和谩骂做出回击、说明事实真相，就把中国外交称作“战狼”外交的话，那么为了维护中国的主权安全、发展利益，为了维护国家的荣誉与尊严，为了维护国际的公平与正义，就做“战狼”又何妨？

If you may recall those things that happened between China and some other countries in recent period of time, which time and which one was caused by China's provocation in the first place? Which time and which one was China interfering in other countries' internal affairs? Which time and in which case was China threatening or damaging the interests of other countries? 

Whether it is labeling the virus, politicizing the epidemic, stigmatizing China, or abusing the concept of national security to arbitrarily suppress Chinese enterprises and undermine normal people-to-people and cultural exchanges, economic, trade and scientific cooperation; whether it is interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of the so-called human rights, democracy, freedom, or defying basic norms of international relations, viciously attacking China's political system and imposing wantonly unilateral sanctions, how can anyone think China has no right to speak the truth while they have every right to slander, attack, smear and hurt China? Do they think that China, as a sovereign state, doesn't have the right to safeguard its own sovereignty, security, development interests and national dignity and honor, while every citizen has the right to exercise justifiable defense in accordance with the law? Do they think that China has no choice but the silence of the lambs while they are unscrupulously lashing out at the country with trumped-up charges? 

When I was a kid, there was a very popular TV show in China, Huo Yuanjia, and its theme song had a line that said, "Cowardliness and forbearance only emboldens their arrogance". In essence, the criticism of "wolf-warrior diplomacy" is just another version of the "China threat theory" and a discourse trap tailor-made for China. Those critics have been habitually lecturing on China in a condescending manner, and still can't take any refutation. Their aim is to preempt China from fighting back. By putting this label on China, they are threatening and blackmailing China into giving up its right to tell the truth. 

But these people should understand that China is not the same as it was 100 years ago. China is never a bully, and the Chinese people have principles and backbone. China's diplomacy represents and defends the interests and dignity of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, or one fifth of the world's population. On major issues of principle that bear on China's sovereignty, security, development interests and international fairness and justice, China's diplomacy must resolutely and forcefully fight back all malicious provocations, vigorously defend national interests and dignity, and safeguard international fairness and justice. 

I would like to stress that China has always adhered to an independent foreign policy of peace. To be aggressor is not our tradition, neither is bending our knee. In the face of hegemony and bullying, Comrade Mao Zedong once said, "We will not attack unless we are attacked, if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack." China does not provoke trouble, but will never flinch when trouble comes their way. We will not yield to coercion and blackmailing. If some people call China's diplomacy "wolf-warrior diplomacy" just because we fight back and speak the truth in the face of unscrupulous attacks, slanders and denigration, I don't see any problem in living with that "wolf-warrior" title, as long as we are fighting for China's sovereignty, security and development interests, national dignity and honor, and international fairness and justice?