The former chief editor of the Chinese state-run media Global Times, Hu Xijin, suspended updates on multiple social media platforms for three consecutive days, sparking controversy after rumors circulated online that he had been “censored” for criticizing the Communist Party of China’s decisions made during the Third Plenum. The ban on Hu Xijin is said to last at least 30 days, according to reports.
Since retiring at the end of 2021, Hu Xijin has been actively sharing his opinions on hot topics on platforms like Weibo and WeChat almost daily, sometimes posting two to three articles a day.
Hu Xijin’s Weibo account shows that his most recent post was made on July 27th at 4:04 p.m., commenting on the flaunting of wealth by interns at CITIC Construction and possible corruption behind it. His “Toutiao” account indicates that his latest post was made on July 27th at 4:30 p.m., discussing the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Additionally, his main official account also ceased updating after the 27th.
On July 28th, rumors spread online that Hu Xijin had been banned from posting for 30 days, with some sources even mentioning a 90-day suspension.
As of July 30th, Hu Xijin had not updated various social media platforms for three consecutive days, generating heated discussions.
It is reported that the main reason for the ban on Hu Xijin was his post on July 23rd, where he allegedly criticized the “Decision” of the 20th Communist Party Central Committee’s Third Plenum meeting titled “Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensive Deepening of Reform and Promotion of Chinese-Style Modernization.”
After the announcement of the “Decision” made at the Third Plenum of the 20th Party Congress on July 22nd, Hu Xijin published an article on his public account titled “The ‘Decision’ eliminates the phrase ‘dominant public ownership,’ marking a historic change.”
In his article, he pointed out the significant differences in the wording regarding public and non-public economic sectors between the new “Decision” and the one adopted at the Third Plenum of the 18th Party Congress in 2013, which led to widespread discussions online.
Critics questioned why Hu Xijin was allowed to distort the intentions of the central government and why his interpretations seemed to override both the constitution and party regulations.
Some online users argued that for the Chinese Communist Party, international agreements were considered historical documents, and adding or removing a few words would not bring substantial changes. They highlighted that even in the social environment of 2013, the phrase “dominant public ownership” wouldn’t have been excessively interpreted, and in the current harsh environment for private enterprises, removing that phrase wouldn’t change the situation either.
The article was later removed from all online platforms, following which Hu Xijin remained silent on the issue.
According to Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Headlines website, on the morning of July 30th, when asked about the situation over the phone, Hu Xijin simply responded, “I don’t want to say anything personally, you can just read what’s online. Please understand.” This response was seen as an indirect confirmation of his suspension from posting online.