Xi's 'top fan' blogger returns to condemn nuclear test

A popular Chinese blogger – believed by some to be working for Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping – returned to his Sina Weibo microblog on Tuesday to condemn North Korea’s latest nuclear test. He made the post a day after hinting that he may no longer write any more blogs.

Zhang Hongming’s blog appeared several hours after reports that Pyongyang had conducted a third nuclear test. He urged North Korea to pursue peace – saying: “An earth without nuclear weapons should be the ultimate goal of everybody.”

Zhang’s blog “Fan Club of Learning From Xi” is famous in China for its candid photographs of the Communist Party general secretary. It has led to speculation that Zhang must have some connection with Xi in order to obtain such photos.

But in a video interview with the Associated Press on Saturday, Zhang claimed he had no links to Xi. The blogger said he collected photos of Xi from ordinary people.

On Monday, Zhang suggested he might stop updating his microblog – two days after revealing his identity to the AP. “Good-bye. I was happy doing this, but I leave today with strong feelings… thanks to all of my readers.” he wrote. Readers expressed concern Zhang had been forced to stop blogging after talking to foreign journalists.

Positive feedback suggests the majority of weibo users welcomed Zhang's return.