The proliferation of Chinese ‘Little Pinks’ fueled by nationalism, causing annoyance is not a new story. Recently, many people must have come across this news: some TikTok ‘Little Pinks,’ in pursuit of traffic, directly applied their spirit of extortion to Japan. If you haven’t seen it yet, let’s take a look at this video first.
The Chinese TikTok influencer known as “Youtou Six-Four Split, 油頭四六分” is obviously trying to generate hate traffic by intentionally causing trouble at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo owned by an elderly Japanese gentleman. The term “pengci” is a Beijing slang, which refers to a scam where one deliberately causes others to damage counterfeit goods and then extorts them for the price of the genuine article. It can also refer to faking car accidents to fraudulently claim compensation. Why do we call it “pengci”? Under the guise of patriotism, their real aim is to generate traffic.
This notice mainly stems from concerns during the pandemic period, as the elderly man worried about his wife’s health and didn’t want to entertain Chinese visitors who had just arrived in Japan from China. Hence, he posted a notice stating “Entry Prohibited.
This notice was primarily due to the elderly man’s concern for his wife’s health during the pandemic, so he decided not to serve Chinese customers who had just arrived from China. Therefore, he posted a “No Entry” notice.
Wolf Warrior Influencers “Pengci” Using Fake Nationalist Hatred to Generate Traffic
This notice itself is certainly inappropriate, but since this restaurant is a private business, Chinese people can simply choose not to spend their money there and go to other shops instead. You could even stand at the entrance and film a video condemning the discriminatory notice. However, if you enter the shop and start yelling at the owner, and rally a bunch of Chinese people in Japan to harass and bully the shop, then you are engaging in “pengci”!
It’s easy to see that the goal of this little pink (a derogatory term for fervent young Chinese nationalists) is not about fairness and justice at all. The Chinese Communist Party has always been promoting anti-Japanese propaganda to the people inside the Great Firewall, so it’s no surprise that these Wolf Warrior influencers are using fake conflicts and hatred to easily gain traffic.
If these Chinese TikTok influencers were just posting comments online, it would be one thing. But no, they are following the trend to physically harass this restaurant. Several Chinese influencers living in Japan, like the “Tokyo Brother Tao,” imitated the “Six-Four Split Hair Guy” by going to harass the old man at his restaurant. For example, this “Tokyo Brother Tao” even brought his girlfriend to the restaurant to cause trouble, insisting on sitting in the dining area and occupying other customers’ space.
The most outrageous case involves a Chinese nationalist called “Dongying Xiao Yeliang,” who withdrew nearly 100 million yen to throw at the restaurant’s door. Additionally, a large number of Chinese people have been maliciously calling “Empress Dowager West” to make reservations and then canceling them, causing the restaurant to temporarily close.
More Effective Than Japanese Police Patrols: Posting “Hong Kong Independence” and “8964” on the Door
Of course, Japanese people are not easy to mess with. While their culture is generally very polite and low-key, the obvious “pengci” actions by Chinese Little Pinks to gain traffic have been intolerable. After this incident was reported by Japanese media, not only did the police start patrolling the area daily, but many local residents also began to support the restaurant with their money.
Former Tokyo Adachi Ward Councilor Makoto Matsumaru even discovered that “Dongying Xiao Yeliang” came to Japan under the guise of language learning and was allegedly involved in illegal prostitution. He immediately backed down and posted a video stating he would no longer cause trouble.
After this incident, many Hongkongers, Taiwanese, and anti-Communist Chinese in Japan enthusiastically offered the restaurant owner some counter-strategies, such as posting pictures supporting Hong Kong independence and the Tiananmen Square incident (8964) at the entrance.
These little pinks who came to cause trouble faced the risk of having their accounts deleted if they filmed “sensitive content.” This clever tactic quickly proved effective, and the little pinks soon stopped harassing the restaurant.
Chinese Little Pinks Only Dare to Act Out in Democratic Countries
I also want to ask these Chinese Little Pinks and Wolf Warriors: when you face the polite Japanese police, you act so arrogantly. But do you dare to be this aggressive when facing Chinese public security or state security officers? Or is it only in democratic countries that you dare to cause trouble?
We can see that the negative impression Japanese people have of Chinese people is mainly due to Chinese nationalism and political manipulation. The restaurant owner does not reject Hongkongers or Taiwanese, so this is not racial discrimination, but a response to the behavior of the Chinese government and these Little Pinks.
For example, if you remember, when Japan announced the discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater at levels even lower than the standard, the Chinese government smeared Japan internationally and tried to incite Taiwanese and Koreans to protest against Japan. This even led to panic buying of table salt in China, Taiwan, and Korea, causing a temporary shortage of table salt.
Chinese Little Pinks Misdeeds: Communist Slogans Sprayed on Graffiti Walls in the UK
The Chinese Communist Party’s constant creation of fake news to incite hatred and division not only affects Japanese people’s perceptions but also worsens the views of China in other countries.
There are various local incidents, such as Chinese nationalist students in the UK who covered famous graffiti walls with white paint and sprayed ugly red slogans in Communist Party style over the original artwork. They claimed this was also graffiti and creative expression, but in reality, it was about transplanting “Chinese Communist Party aesthetics” and “Communist Party ideology” to the UK. The original walls became very ugly, leading to negative perceptions among many local British people.
Chinese students studying abroad in London, UK, spray-painted the Communist Party’s ‘core socialist values’ slogan, which is often said but not implemented, in red paint on the red brick alleys, giving people the feeling of being instantly transported to China.
Or do you remember? During the pandemic, Chinese Little Pinks hoarded masks in various countries, causing shortages. After the lockdowns were lifted, they again annoyed foreigners by buying up cold and fever medications around the world.
Not to mention major international incidents, like the remarks by Chinese Wolf Warrior diplomat Lu Shaye. During the tense situation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he publicly stated that “in international law, these former Soviet countries have no actual status because there is no international agreement that concretely defines their status as sovereign states.”
Pew Research Center Poll 2023: Rising Dislike for China
The shocking statements mentioned above have aroused anger in European countries towards the Chinese government. Additionally, the incident of Chinese spy balloons floating over the United States, including over sensitive military areas, and the initial refusal of the Chinese government to admit fault, also angered Americans.
In July last year (2023), the Pew Research Center released its annual survey. In the 24 countries surveyed, the level of dislike for China has increased year by year, with several countries reaching record-high levels of aversion.
The survey also found that 76% of respondents believe that China does not consider the interests of other countries in its foreign policy, and a median of 57% believe that China significantly or moderately interferes in the affairs of other countries.
This result clearly contradicts China’s usual narrative, as they often accuse the United States of interfering in China’s domestic affairs through their foreign ministry spokespersons. However, in reality, it is China that interferes in other countries, and when these actions are hindered, they turn around and accuse the United States.
China’s External Propaganda in Myanmar and Africa: Still Promoting the “Good China” Narrative
However, on the other hand, I believe that another aspect worth paying attention to is China’s increasing influence on developing countries. Besides the points I mentioned in previous articles about China’s active use of external propaganda and “foreign fifty-centers” to promote anti-American sentiment in Western democratic camps and the United States, China’s influence projection in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and other regions is also very strong.
This is a pressure that the United States cannot afford to ignore because, geopolitically, China continues to actively establish its control over these low- to middle-income countries through initiatives like the Belt and Road. For instance, in countries like Myanmar and those in Africa that produce lithium and rare earth elements, criticism of China and the Chinese Communist Party is decreasing. This trend is indirectly confirmed in the aforementioned Pew Research Center report.
Therefore, I once again advise multinational companies and Taiwanese businesses to leave China and invest in these developing countries instead of staying in a place that completely disregards the law and intellectual property rights.
Now, international survey companies and investment consulting firms are also leaving China one by one. Investing in other countries not only accelerates decoupling from China but also allows us to exert influence on developing countries. This prevents these countries from becoming overly dependent on China and provides them with more and better options with greater security, rather than being exploited by a country that completely disregards human rights for the sake of economic development.