Blog crackdown chills China's political debate

A government-backed campaign to assert greater control over social media has lead to increased self-censorship by some of China’s most influential bloggers, chilling political discourse in the country.

Chinese microblogs similar to Twitter have become key drivers of public opinion in recent years, with bloggers drawing attention to official corruption, pollution and other issues that challenge China’s ruling Communist party.

But in recent months influential government critics have been paraded on state television, pledging to avoid posts that could create a “negative” social influence, while hundreds have been detained for spreading “rumours” online.

“It’s creating pressure, and an atmosphere of fear,” said Xie Wen, a veteran of China’s Internet industry who worked as a senior manager for Yahoo! China. “It’s about making people speak less.”

The rising influence of microblogs has been accompanied by the emergence of celebrity users with verified accounts, known as “Big Vs”.

With over 13 million followers, real-estate mogul Pan Shiyi became one of the most celebrated “Big V” bloggers, driving public opinion on pollution by posting details of Beijing’s dirty air levels, which at the time were not officially released.