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Maria Siow

Chinese netizens’ jubilation over the death of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe was disturbing. Sadly, it’s not the first time this has happened during human tragedies elsewhere, and I would venture to guess it will not be the last.
If such open expressions of callousness continue, the damage may be incalculable, especially in the erosion of international goodwill towards the Chinese people.
In the immediate hours after Abe’s assassination, numerous Chinese netizens wished that Japan’s longest-serving premier would not survive.
Countless more cheered and rejoiced when Abe eventually died of gunshot wounds a few hours later.
Chinese nationalists celebrate Shinzo Abe shooting online
Some Chinese businesses even launched sales promotions to “celebrate” Abe’s death.
This massive outburst of Schadenfreude both online and offline, known as xing zai le huo in Chinese, has occurred during various Japanese earthquakes in recent years, including one which led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
Gleeful sentiments were also expressed in 2020 over how badly other countries handled Covid-19. Chinese netizens took particular pleasure in highlighting the number of deaths during the pandemic, especially in the United States.
Whenever gun violence occurs in the US, the euphoric voices of Chinese netizens can be heard.

In 2019, netizens howled in delight over the fire that destroyed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Many said it was “retribution” for the fire set by British and French troops on Beijing’s Old Summer Palace in 1860 during the Qing dynasty.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on US soil in 2001, including one on the World Trade Center in New York, countless Chinese cheered and claimed the US “deserved” it.
I was in Beijing then and can still vividly recall the jubilant mood even among academics and scholars.
On the Chinese search engine Baidu, if the Chinese characters “zhongguo ren” (Chinese people) and “xing zai le huo” are typed in, search terms that automatically pop up include: “Why are the Chinese so xing zai le huo?”, “xing zai le huo towards the pandemic in foreign countries”, and “why are Chinese so happy when disasters happen in the US and Japan?”
The world has changed since 9/11, but 20 years on its legacy is still being felt
Of course these sentiments do not reflect China’s official position and it is natural for the country and its people to be riled by the ideological differences and competitive rivalry between China and other powers.
But surely a line must be drawn between conflict and friction between countries and gestures that are devoid of basic human decency?
In recent years, many countries have developed negative sentiments towards China which is seen as challenging international rules and norms, but such beliefs are largely confined to perceptions about government behaviour.
But if Chinese netizens continue to make their ecstatic voices heard in times of human tragedies and misfortune, this lack of universal empathy is likely to lead to the steady erosion of international goodwill towards the Chinese people.
The global community has long drawn a line between the behaviour of the Chinese government and its people. May that line not be blurred, or worse, erased.


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Will Chinese netizens’ jubilation after human tragedies like Shinzo Abe’s assassination fuel foreign ill will?

A large video screen shows news broadcast featuring an image of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Beijing on July 8. Online, some Chinese netizens were delighted with Abe’s assassination. Photo: AFP

The news of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s death is shown on TV in Beijing. Photo: Kyodo

Shinzo Abe assassination: From Singapore to India, tributes flow for ardent champion of ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’

A video screen in Beijing shows news of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Photo: AFP

Akie Abe, widow of the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, returns to her residence in a hearse transporting her husband’s body. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping conveys ‘deep regret’ over sudden death of ex-Japan leader Shinzo Abe

A large streetside screen  broadcasts news of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination,  in Beijing on July 8. Photo: AFP

Shinzo Abe’s killing spotlights Unification Church’s ties with Japanese conservatives

A man signs a book of condolence for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed on Friday, at the Japanese embassy in Thailand. Photo: EPA-EFE

A vehicle carrying the body of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his funeral procession in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church, at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Kyodo

Akie Abe, wife of Japan’s former PM Shinzo Abe, sits in a hearse carrying the body of her husband. Photo: via Reuters

Couples at a mass wedding ceremony organised by the Unification Church in South Korea. Photo: Reuters

Chinese nationalists celebrate Shinzo Abe shooting online, as some argue feeling happy is the normal reaction

The former Japanese prime minister was shot dead on Friday. Photo: Kyodo

A Twitter account translating comments of Chinese citizens from Weibo. Photo: Twitter

Nationalists attack Chinese journalist over emotional Shinzo Abe report

Chinese journalist Zheng Ying spoke highly of Shinzo Abe in her report. Photo: Weibo

This Week in Asia

Opinion

Many Chinese netizens expressed their delight online following the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
The global community has long drawn a line between the behaviour of the Chinese government and its people – but that line may be blurring


Chinese netizens have celebrated numerous human tragedies elsewhere, including Shinzo Abe’s assassination, the 9/11 attacks, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, as well as other countries’ response to the pandemic.


Coronavirus pandemic

Diplomacy

Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Japan

Shinzo Abe

US-China relations

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

As I see it

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}As I see it | Will Chinese netizens’ jubilation after human tragedies like Shinzo Abe’s assassination fuel foreign ill will?

As I see it | Will Chinese netizens’ jubilation after human tragedies like Shinzo Abe’s assassination fuel foreign ill will?