"China's final warning" (Russian:последнее китайское предупреждение,romanized: posledneye kitayskoye preduprezhdeniye) is a Russian ironicidiom originating from theSoviet Union that refers to a warning that carries no real consequences.[1]
Relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s were strained because of disputes over thepolitical status of Taiwan. American military fighter jets regularly patrolled and performed fighter maneuvers in theTaiwan Strait, which led to formal protests being regularly lodged by theChinese Communist Party in the form of a "final warning".[2] ThePeople's Republic of China released its first "final warning" to the United States on 7 September 1958 during theSecond Taiwan Strait Crisis.[3] By the end of 1964, more than 900 of these "final warnings" had been issued,[4] but they were not followed by any significant consequences.[2]
These protests were frequently broadcast onSoviet radio, "voiced by announcerYuri Levitan in his solemn voice", which led to general awareness of the "final warnings" among the Soviet populace and common use of the term "China's final warning" within Soviet households to refer to empty threats.[1] Citizens would often add numbers to the phrase for added humorous effect, such as "231st final Chinese warning" and "850th final Chinese warning".[4] Since the 1972Shanghai Communiqué that warmed US–China relations, the phrase has continued being used in reference to fruitless warnings in situations unrelated to politics or China.[1][4]
The term was popularized in English-language social media during the lead-up toNancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taiwan to refer to China's threats, which were said to be superficially strong but actually weak.[5]
