Trump leaps China’s ‘Great Firewall’ to give Twitter account a Forbidden City makeover
US president continues tweeting despite the service being blocked on the mainland
At the end of his first day in Beijing, US President Donald Trump changed his Twitter banner to a photo of the world’s two most powerful first couples in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
In the photo, a smiling Trump stands before a stage, surrounded by the elaborately dressed performers of the Peking opera works he had just watched, flanked by his wife Melania and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.
The question of whether Trump would use Twitter – his favourite communications platform – from China has attracted much attention in the run-up to his trip.
The popular microblogging site is blocked by China’s infamous “Great Firewall”.
But the US president was apparently granted unfiltered access to the free internet world outside. He has posted five tweets since arriving in China, including three expressing his gratitude for the “beautiful welcome” he received.
“President Xi, thank you for such an incredible welcome ceremony. It was a truly memorable and impressive display!” he wrote in his latest tweet posted on Thursday afternoon, referring to the pomp and ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in the morning.