Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian’s opinion piece in The Australian Financial Review on Monday highlights the delicate balance between diplomatic expression and responsible discourse in public forums.

While it is the role of any ambassador to convey their government’s official stance, doing so in a manner that misrepresents the host country’s positions or distorts common international legal understandings is bad diplomatic form. Xiao’s piece, unfortunately, exemplifies this approach, relying on contentious claims that not only misinform readers but also undermine constructive engagement.