Chinese critics of Russian attack on Ukraine frightened to speak out

Most posts on Chinese social media have expressed support for Vladimir Putin, but many dissenters feel they can’t say what they think

Studies have shown that most people do not discuss politics on social media and one academic pointed out that it tends to amplify the most chauvinistic voices

Reading Time:3 minutes

99+

A message of support for Ukraine outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00am, 10 Mar 2022Updated: 1:10pm, 10 Mar 2022

Timothy Liu has remained unusually quiet since the Ukrainian war began.

The 25-year-old postgraduate student at a leading university in Beijing has not posted any messages about the war on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, for almost two weeks or discussed it with his classmates.

“They basically all support Russia and Vladimir Putin and keep repeating rhetoric like ‘let Taiwan see what the future holds’,” said Liu, who did not want to disclose the name of his school for fear of retribution.

“Even the government has not talked like that but [many of my classmates] do believe in it and they are not shy to talk about it. I am also not talking with them for my own protection,” he added.

Like most Chinese in the country, Liu relies on mainstream media for information but says he has his own “filters” to tell facts from propaganda.

“Probably both Chinese and Western media are biased but I have my own reference framework – just like many other people – so I do not really believe in what the authorities said,” he said.