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China’s internet censorship

China’s internet censorship
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s internet censorship. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Shanghai has launched a “special campaign” against online content that talks down the property market. Photo: Shutterstock
China property

Shanghai launches clampdown on property market doom-mongering

City’s internet regulators shut down 70,000 accounts in a ‘special campaign’ against pessimistic content as real estate jitters continue.

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Women and gender

China’s LGBTQ community loses key lifeline as Blued, Finka apps vanish

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Internet

Are China’s stars leading fans to be more nationalist – or the other way round?

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Censorship

Ex-state media editor warns against ‘collective silence’ on Chinese social media

Ex-Global Times chief Hu Xijin says there should be greater scope for ‘citizens to exchange information’ on social media.

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Hu Xijin is a regular poster on Chinese and Western social media platoforms. Photo: Weibo
Censorship

China’s ‘Clean Net’ campaign targets ‘negative emotions’ in annual online purge

Internet watchdog’s crackdown broadens battle against pessimism, punishes influencers and platforms ‘selling anxiety’ on web.

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Censorship in China

Kuaishou, Weibo warned as China cracks down on trending topics

The cyber regulator’s actions follow similar actions targeting lifestyle social media platform RedNote.

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China's military weapons

Want to relive the Chinese military parade? Try this cuddly missile plushie

‘Sleep with the DF-5C pillow, as it provides the highest sense of security … It covers the entire globe,’ goes the blurb for an ICBM toy.

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Toymakers across Taobao, the country’s biggest e-commerce site, are busy making stuffed versions of the DF-61 and DF-5C domestically made intercontinental ballistic missiles that were unveiled in last week’s parade. Photo: Handout
Women and gender

Chinese officials accuse online stand-up shows of stirring ‘gender antagonism’

Zhejiang officials hope ‘rising stand-up comedy scene can become more rational and profound, with less division and more understanding’.

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ByteDance

ByteDance’s China head of content quality leaves amid stricter censorship

Li Tong, who led Douyin’s content quality team, is no longer listed in ByteDance’s internal employee system, according to sources.

Internet

China fines ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan US$1.2 million for tax evasion

In November, after decades of posting and amassing more than 50 million followers, outspoken blogger went silent on social media.

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Chinese state media says Beijing tax authorities detected tax fraud by outspoken blogger Sima Nan. He was fined more than 9 million yuan. Photo: AFP
China's military weapons

China tightens rules on publishing information about the military

‘Online information providers’ face a range of new curbs including a ban on publishing information about weapons systems and facilities.

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Military bloggers have been among the first to release details of new Chinese weapons, including warplanes. Photo: X/ 醉美武功
China technology

Weibo adjusts algorithms to improve ‘public values’ amid government crackdown

Weibo has been under fire in recent years for having too many trending topics about celebrities.

Shanghai

Shanghai mulls plan to bypass Great Firewall in bid to woo foreign investment

Shanghai is not alone in such efforts, as Nansha district in Guangzhou is implementing cross-border data transfers with Hong Kong and Macau.

US-China relations

Opinion | US and China should follow lead of their youth bonding on RedNote

Their interactions help debunk Washington’s ‘China threat’ narrative and should give Beijing the courage to relax its censorship and trust Chinese youth.

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For many young Americans, RedNote has given them their first direct interaction with mainland Chinese people. Photo: SCMP
China’s Communist Party

Unplug ‘Great Firewall’ to help China compete, Shanghai lawmaker says

Legislator Mao Xiangdong calls for lifting of internet restrictions in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities.

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Strict internet controls should be lifted in zones such as Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district to help boost China’s development, a Shanghai lawmaker says. Photo: AFP
China’s Communist Party

RedNote’s influx of ‘TikTok refugees’ could be a double-edged sword for Beijing

The authorities will be hoping new users of the app will get a favourable impression of China – but may be unnerved by some of their posts.

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China’s Communist Party

Chinese officials urged not to ignore public opinion

Cadres warned to pay attention to complaints from members of the public to avoid more serious problems later on.

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Trending in China

Chinese ex-gymnast hit with new social media ban over sexy dance routines

Former sporting hero’s provocative live streaming sessions lead to fresh social media gag, dividing opinion on mainland social media.

Ex-China top gymnast Wu Liufang’s social media account is suspended again over her sexy live streaming sessions. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Douyin
China’s Communist Party

China stamps out AI misuse to preserve national literature and ideology

Beijing seeks to balance AI use to boost the economy while combating deepfakes, digital misinformation and altering of public perception.

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China’s Communist Party

Exclusive | Chinese internet censors ban anti-West firebrand Sima Nan for a year

The ultranationalist blogger has not posted online since Tuesday when he voiced support for Donald Trump in the US election.

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China’s Communist Party

Chinese commentator Hu Xijin returns to social media after months of silence

Fans celebrate comeback of former Global Times chief after unexplained absence from online platforms where he had been a prolific poster.

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Outspoken former newspaper editor Hu Xijin has reappeared on social media with a post praising a new bridge linking Beijing and neighbouring Hebei province. Photo: Weibo
China’s Communist Party

China takes down fake news about its military, closes social media accounts

Internet watchdog reports targets include false reports of ‘cyberwarfare’ in the South China Sea and other ‘fantasy stories’.

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According to a report released on Monday by the Cyberspace Administration of China, social media accounts have been removed for untrue posts hyping the Chinese military. Photo: Shutterstock
Communist Party politics

‘Confident’ China should relax grip on cultural, information exchange: academic

Too many Chinese scholars fail to properly engage with their overseas peers, leading to worsening decoupling, professor warns.

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Social media

My Take | China’s stock-market frenzy reflects social media’s growing sway over investors

The current investor euphoria has been aroused by the proliferation of upbeat short-video posts on Chinese social media.

Accidents and disasters in China

Man accused of stabbing Japanese boy jobless with criminal record: Chinese media

Information about the sensitive case is tightly controlled by Chinese police, media and internet censors.

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Chinese paramilitary police officers march past the entrance of the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Thursday. China has expressed “regret and sadness” after a Japanese schoolboy died after being stabbed on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Communist Party politics

China tightens ideological control with warnings against rock ’n’ roll, internet

New college textbook drawing on speeches of President Xi Jinping is latest move from Beijing to tighten ideological control and national security.

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Under President Xi Jinping, China has stepped up national security education as a defence against what it calls infiltration by Western forces among Chinese youth. Photo: AFP
Video gaming

No ‘feminist propaganda’? Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong’s censorship row

Gamers were also warned against any reference to ‘isolation’ or ‘quarantine’ – likely a reference to China’s pandemic-era policies that sparked civil unrest.

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China society

My Take | China’s censorship of cyberspace ID criticism risks losing a chance to improve

Chinese law requires new regulations to solicit public feedback, but legitimate concerns about giving netizens a single national ID are being silenced.

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