Death of pro-China US journalist sparks grief and conspiracy theories on Weibo

Andre Vltchek, a self-described communist, was a regular contributor to state-run China Daily, defending Beijing’s policies on Xinjiang and Hong Kong

News of his death has circulated widely on popular microblogging site Weibo, with one commenter praising him as a ‘communist fighter’ and ‘friend of the Chinese people’

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A hearse carrying the coffin of American journalist and author Andre Vltchek is driven into the forensic medicine institution building for an examination in Istanbul. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00pm, 2 Oct 2020Updated: 8:00pm, 2 Oct 2020

The sudden death of an American journalist and author known for defending Beijing’s controversial policies on Hong Kong and Xinjiang has prompted an outpouring of sympathy and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories among mainland Chinese commentators online.

Andre Vltchek, a self-described communist who regularly contributed to the state-run China Daily, died on September 22 while travelling in Turkey with his wife.

A critic of Western foreign policy who co-authored a book with famed left-wing intellectual Noam Chomsky, Vltchek had been travelling from the coastal city of Samsun to Istanbul in a chauffeured car when his wife discovered she could not wake him, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

News of Vltchek‘s death has circulated widely on popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo, with netizens expressing both anger and sadness at his death.

In a post that garnered more than 800 likes and almost 400 shares, one netizen described Vltchek, 57, as “the journalist who took off his Western undies” in reference to his anti-American stance, noting he had once said that China was the world‘s “last hope”.