The language of diplomacy. A linguistic analysis of Jerzy Buzek\u2019s address on \u2018EU-China: strategic partnership in light of the challenges for global governance'

As China has become a leading political and economic power in the last few decades and trading relations have risen hugely between the EU and China, the main interest of the article is to analyze how language is used in a diplomatic context such as a speech given by the president of the European Parliament at the University of Nanjing. The main features that characterize the language of diplomacy, such as the wise use of rhetoric, vocabulary and ambiguity are the indispensable tools of a diplomat in a very delicate context whose success is based on the ability to persuade the audience