Relying on prior work in the incorporation of sociolinguistic concepts of 'impoliteness' into studies of international relations and diplomacy, this thesis utilises mixed qualitative and quantitative methods to comprehensively analyse speeches delivered by representatives of the People's Republic of China at plenary sessions of the United Nations General Assembly. In adjudging between plausible explanations contained in the literature for the actions at multilateral international institutions, this thesis finds a complex relationship between deployment of undiplomatic language at multilateral fora and a state's relationship with a putative international order. Findings strongly supported include rising power trends, core interests defence, and naming-and-shaming socialisation.