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Army of fake fans online boosts China’s global messaging

17 Comments
By ERIKA KINETZ

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Liu Xiaoming, who recently stepped down as China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, is one of the party’s most successful foot soldiers on this evolving online battlefield. He joined Twitter in October 2019, as scores of Chinese diplomats surged onto Twitter and Facebook, which are both banned in China.

Which was kind of ironic.

The wumao presence online is not to be underestimated, and they will use any platform to silence or threaten against any perceived criticisms of Beijing and the party that claims to be communist.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I don’t care at all, because they on all sides misuse the internet or SNS. Lefts, rights, Putin or Xi followers, Biden or Trump fractions, vaxxer vs. anti-vaccer, climate change theorists vs . deniers, and so on. They are all the same in mind and try to move the bias to their side or favor. But that’s an illusion, because it’s all only virtual and gets outbalanced. And also my unimportant comments would be censored in my home country, at Twitter, in China or here at JT at the very same speed and percentage. And of course they really are....lol It’s all a fake only and you know it too.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Winnie's pudgy face is something I don't like seeing before my second cup of coffee in the morning.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Ban the twitter account. Let them get a taste of their own medicine!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

If the Chinese govt. is flocking to apps that they themselves ban in their own country, then they should be put into a special bracket which allows Twitter and FB to ban them for political brainwashing initiatives and nauseating hypocrisy.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Social media is a cesspool. Studies show that regular users are less happy than others.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Fake commentary coming out of china is easily identified. Denouncing the west while crowing about China and or Russia is a clear sign it is faked.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This country never ceases to amaze the heck out of me.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Unless the Chinese people start thinking for themselves and demand more from themselves and their government instead of sheepishly supporting everything the government says for fear of losing face internationally, they will remain mindless puppets of the state. They're even too dumb and blind to see that Hong Kong was the template for the future of China but they'd rather label those fighting for democracy as terrorists or threats to their way of life. It's unbelievably foolish and myopic. When they continue to criticize and malign their own citizens for speaking out against the government and for trying to tell the truth, only demonstrates that they're not ready to be a world leader.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What do you expect coming from a selfish China!! Everything is FAKE!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I don't trust TikTok either I have a guts feeling the views are manufactured by the company running tiktok

so as to give the impression one easily gets views on the platform due to alot of people watching hence drawing more people to post on the platform and more companies to advertise on it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Unless the Chinese people start thinking for themselves and demand more from themselves and their government instead of sheepishly supporting everything the government says for fear of losing face internationally, they will remain mindless puppets of the state. 

Most Chinese do not trust or support the CCP in any way. But they do not dare say so or they will disappear. Everyone keeps their mouths shut fearing retribution from the state. Their media is so heavily censored that most mainland Chinese have no idea what really happened in Hong Kong or anywhere else. To quote my own family in Shanghai, "the government does what it wants and we do what we want". They try to have as little to do with any level of government as they possibly can and get on with their lives. My family suffered greatly under the Red Guards. They know the futility of trying to push back.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Unless the Chinese people start thinking for themselves and demand more from themselves and their government instead of sheepishly supporting everything the government says for fear of losing face internationally, they will remain mindless puppets of the state

Activists tend to be jailed or go missing. Be they internationally recognised or domestically protesting against land being taken.

And also, the world saw what happened in Tianemen Square.

Wouldn't call the brave activists and protesters over the years "sheep" or "mindless puppets".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Winnie's pudgy face is something I don't like seeing before my second cup of coffee in the morning.

Hear hear!!

Ban the twitter account. Let them get a taste of their own medicine!

If the Chinese govt. is flocking to apps that they themselves ban in their own country, then they should be put into a special bracket which allows Twitter and FB to ban them for political brainwashing initiatives and nauseating hypocrisy.

couldn't agree more.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wolf warrior diplomacy has backfired along with all other diplomatic Chinese endeavors.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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