China censors online debates about Ukraine and prohibits calls for peace
Key Takeaways:
- China's censors are silencing citizens protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, deciding quietly what can be talked about on the nation's buzzing social media platforms.
Citizens protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine are being silenced by China's censors, who quietly decide what can be discussed on the country's buzzing social media platforms.
Comments on Chinese social media sites Weibo, WeChat, and Douyin in the days following Russia's February 24 attack overwhelmingly backed Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Many posts opposing this, or even advocating for peace, vanished quickly.
Jin Xing, a former famous talk show host as well as China's first openly transgender celebrity, said her Weibo account was suspended last week after she posted two posts, one of which referred to Putin as a "crazy Russian man" and urged her followers to pray for peace, according to Reuters.
"All I said was that I believe in life and oppose the war. I did not state that I support the United States, Russia, or Ukraine, "Jin, whose account has 13.6 million followers, said. "Did I make a blunder?"
Jin isn't on his own. According to a notice on her Weibo account, award-winning Chinese actor Ke Lan has been banned from posting on the platform "due to violating relevant rules and regulations." She had liked and shared anti-war images and comments, including photos from a protest in St Petersburg.
In recent years, China and Russia have developed a closer relationship. Beijing has not condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, nor has it called it an invasion, but it has called for a diplomatic solution.
Posts by prominent historians who attempted to organize anti-war petitions were removed from the WeChat messaging service.
Last week, Lu Xiaoyu, a Peking University assistant professor of international relations, published an article urging common sense. "Being seen as a Russian ally will be a step toward losing global popular support," he wrote in the widely shared article on WeChat. The original article has been removed from the internet.
Weibo and Tencent Holdings, the parent company of WeChat, did not respond to comments on why such content was removed or accounts were suspended.
A request for comment was sent to China's internet controller, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which oversees the nation's news and social media companies.
As per a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no posts or accounts have been removed or suspended. "In terms of principle," the spokesperson said, "China's stance on the Ukraine matter is open, transparent, and consistent."