Chinese Social Media Platforms Pledge Crackdown on Extreme Nationalism After Deadly Attack

00:00

00:00/00:00

Listen to this article 1x

Residents lay flowers at the bus stop of the Xindi Center on Friday in Suzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: Bao Zhimin/Caixin

In the wake of a knife attack that left one Chinese national dead and two Japanese nationals injured, major social media platforms have vowed to crack down on “extreme nationalism” and hate speech against Japan.

Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of X with around 600 million monthly active users, removed 759 posts that “incited hatred and glorified crime” in the wake of the attack and banned 36 accounts, according to a statement published late Wednesday. The statement said that “promoting violence and beautifying crime in the name of patriotism is a blasphemy to true patriotism.”

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

DIGEST HUB

Digest Hub

Back

Explore the story in 30 seconds

A knife attack in Suzhou left one Chinese national dead and two Japanese nationals injured, leading to social media crackdowns on hate speech and extreme nationalism.
Weibo removed 759 posts and banned 36 accounts; Tencent also removed over 800 posts and banned or shut down 61 accounts; other platforms like Douyin and NetEase pledged similar actions.
Suzhou will honor Hu Youping for her bravery, and the Japanese Embassy in China paid tribute to her heroic actions with a social media post.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

Weibo: Weibo, with around 600 million monthly active users, is the Chinese equivalent of X. Following a knife attack, Weibo removed 759 posts that incited hatred and glorified crime and banned 36 accounts. It emphasized that promoting violence and beautifying crime in the name of patriotism is a blasphemy to true patriotism.

Tencent: Tencent, the owner of WeChat, issued a statement titled “crackdown on content inciting China-Japan confrontation and stirring up extreme nationalism.” It has removed over 800 posts and either banned or shut down 61 accounts, according to the statement.

ByteDance: ByteDance’s Douyin, the domestic version of TikTok, stated that it will continue to remove "extreme and erroneous" comments that call for the annihilation of Japan or question Hu Youping's intentions. ByteDance emphasized that such content undermines the platform's clean and friendly atmosphere.

NetEase: NetEase, a gaming giant, has announced that it will remove content and block accounts in line with a campaign launched in April by China's top internet regulator. The campaign targets the fabrication and exploitation of heated topics, seeking to address issues like spreading extreme opinions and provoking group opposition.

Douban: Douban is an internet platform that has called on its users to maintain an “objective and rational attitude” in response to the recent knife attack. This aligns with efforts by other platforms to crack down on extremism and hate speech.

ifeng.com: Ifeng.com is an internet platform that joined others in urging users to maintain an “objective and rational attitude” following the knife attack. The call aligns with broader efforts by various platforms to clamp down on extreme nationalism and hate speech against Japan.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

June 24, 2024：: A man stabbed a Japanese mother and her son while they were waiting for a school bus in Suzhou, leading to the death of Hu Youping.

AI generated, for reference only