Israel, Gaza and why talk of ‘double standards’ is trending on the Chinese internet

The conflict in the Middle East is fuelling online criticism of the West’s treatment of Palestinian lives

Sentiment in China against Israel’s military actions is hardening, with netizens calling the bombing of refugee camps a ‘massacre’

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Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:31pm, 2 Nov 2023Updated: 8:36pm, 2 Nov 2023

The Israel-Gaza conflict has become a latest front in the China-US narrative war, with some Chinese official and influencer online accounts ramping up criticism over “double standards” by Israel and the West.

“The United States and Israel selectively use morality. The world has always been unreasonable,” Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of nationalist tabloid Global Times, wrote in a post on Weibo on Wednesday.

Hu, who has nearly 25 million followers on the platform, championed Beijing’s position, saying China had rejected “morality that was favourable to oneself” to “preside over truthful righteousness” by promoting humanitarianism and rejecting violence from all sides.

Hu’s comments added to the online discussion of “double standards” – or shuangbiao in Mandarin – that prevailed after Queen Rania of Jordan last week accused the West of turning a blind eye to the Israeli attacks faced by Palestinians.

The West’s response was in contrast to the international outcry to the surprise assault that Hamas launched against Israel on October 7, she said.

That view was echoed in a post by a current affairs blogger with 288,000 followers.

In the post, “Xiaosunchu” questioned whether the international community would “sanction Israel” while allowing condemnation of Hamas.