Posting about politics on Weibo can sometimes look like a game of Russian Roulette: without knowing where the pitfalls lie, at some point one is bound to run into trouble. Hot takes can lead to quick suspensions. Asking for explanations can even lead to longer suspensions. So too can criticizing suspensions. Average netizens might circumvent bans through “reincarnation,” but celebrity commentators less able to fly under the radar can lose access to millions of followers. This is the fate of prominent ultranationalist firebrand Sima Nan, who was banned from his social media accounts last week after expressing support for Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, as reported by William Zheng at the South China Morning Post:
Two sources familiar with the situation told the Post that the ban on the highly controversial Chinese online influencer known for his strong anti-West hot takes was expected to last for a year.
[…] Sima Nan has not posted on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, short-video platform Douyin or mobile social media service WeChat since Tuesday night, when just hours before the voting started, he made his last comments on the US presidential election.
In his final post on Douyin, where he has nearly 38 million followers, he jokingly referred to himself as “the deputy head of Trump’s presidential campaign office in Beijing”, expressing support for the Republican candidate.
In his last Weibo post, Sima Nan said he preferred Trump because “Trump’s transactional mentality” might help Beijing to take over Taiwan.
[…] There are no indications that the ban on Sima Nan is linked to any other issue. [Source]
On Twitter, Zheng suggested that Sima Nan’s ban “might be a tactical move to avoid sending wrong signals to the US [and] foreign investors as Beijing is putting its act together to revive the economy.” Nan, whose real name is Yu Li, was previously banned from Chinese social media for several weeks in August 2022 after accusing Lenovo of manipulating public discourse against him, amid his longstanding conflict with the company. He has been the subject of numerous controversies, and often attempts to ride the current of the government’s shifting interests. When Chinese censors sought to dampen the scandal of unwashed fuel tankers transporting cooking oil in July, Nan called for an investigation into the lead reporter from an outlet that exposed the scandal and suggested without evidence that he might be backed by “hostile foreign forces.” One year ago this week, as Chinese state media toned down its anti-U.S. rhetoric to help foster a warm atmosphere for Xi Jinping’s meeting with Joe Biden at the APEC summit, Nan stated that he “strives to promote friendly Sino-American relations,” inciting widespread mockery at his hypocrisy.
Weibo has resorted to censorship in managing discussions around previous elections. A government censorship directive during the 2020 U.S. presidential election stated, “Media commentary […] must not aggravate excessive emotions or hype public opinion. Online interactive platforms must guard against any anti-U.S., boycott the U.S., or other inflammatory and actionable messages.” Another directive at the time stated, “Thoroughly audit and withhold all reports, commentary, or analysis centering on the election [and…] avoid related content from unqualified authors.” Weibo censors also removed hashtags about Taiwan’s general election this January.
At the same time, ample commentary about Trump has proliferated on Chinese social media since he first took office in 2016. After his re-election last week, Weibo’s “manosphere” was awash with nationalist celebrations. However, discussions about Trump have also been subject to varying levels of censorship on certain occasions, including his first assassination attempt, his ban from American social media following the January 6 insurrection, and the “Phase One Agreement” of his trade deal, to name a few examples.
Meanwhile, fellow nationalist blogger and former editor-in-chief of the Global Times Hu Xijin reappeared on Weibo last month after disappearing in July. His silence may have been a veiled reprimand by authorities for his possible misreading of an important CCP political meeting on economic strategy. Like Nan, Hu also has a track record of diligently latching on to and reinforcing government propaganda, which earned him the nickname “Frisbee Hu.” His loyalty afforded him a degree of immunity: last year, a Weibo user was banned after reporting Hu for using a VPN to circumvent the Great Firewall, which is widespread but technically illegal in China. Among Hu’s first posts since his return are some about Trump’s election victory, generating one top comment that read: “Old Trump is back, just like you!” Alex Colville at China Media Project wrote about Hu’s reception upon his quiet return to Weibo:
“Your opinions may not all be correct, but you are objective, fair, calm, and positive,” read one upvoted comment. But others have not forgotten his reputation for obedience: “Old Hu is back! That’s great! I can walk and play with my dog every day again!” reads the most-liked comment.
Perhaps Hu’s comeback should have been expected. His “Hu Says” column in the Global Times has been quiet since July, but was never removed from its prominent position on the newspaper’s homepage, suggesting his spell in the wilderness was always expected to be brief. However, Hu still has not posted on his blue-check X account. Perhaps the former editor still needs to prove that he can be trusted with a VPN again. [Source]
