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Wenhao Profile picture
Wenhao
@ThisIsWenhao
Covering China’s digital influence: disinformation, propaganda, censorship and all that good stuff @voanews @voachinese
Nov 21 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
For the past three months we at VOA Chinese worked with Taiwan’s
@doublethinklab on an investigate project to expose how China-connected bots were trying to influence American voters on social media, especially X (Twitter), ahead of the election. 1/ We tracked hundreds of Spamouflage accounts on X and analyzed their content. We found that the conflict in Gaza was absolutely the top issue exploited by Chinese bots. They continuously and heavily criticized US support for the Israeli government. 2/voanews.com/a/chinese-spam…
Jun 13 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
I recently tested Google’s AI assistant Gemini in Simplified Chinese and had shocking results. On multiple occasions, the chatbot gave answers indistinguishable from Chinese propaganda. On some sensitive issues, it refused to answer at all. 1/
voanews.com/a/google-ai-ge… Gemini called Xi Jinping “an excellent leader” who “will lead the Chinese people continuously toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

It also told me that the Chinese Communist Party “represents the fundamental interest of the Chinese people”. 2/ Image
Apr 9 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
At least two Chinese dissident accounts on X said they have received what appears to be phishing links disguised as news tips. What they described resembles almost exactly what was revealed about Chinese hacking activities on X in the leaked I-Soon documents back in February. 1/ Teacher Li, one of the most influential Chinese self-media accounts on X, said that he received a link from a user who could no longer access their account. Li suspects that the link was an attempt by the Chinese police to find out his real IP address. 2/
Mar 20 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
Netflix’s adaptation of the wildly popular Chinese Sci-Fi novel trilogy the Three Body Problem isn’t released yet but Chinese nationalists are already riled up on social media. They criticize the show’s diverse cast and accuse Netflix of using the story to make China look bad. 1/ The original story was set mainly in China, where a group of humans discovered and took on an alien invasion. The Netflix version moved the setting to current day UK and replaced most of the Chinese characters with an international cast. 2/
Mar 1 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Olga is a 20-year old Ukrainian student who runs a nascent YouTube channel. But lately her likeness was stolen on Chinese social media and turned into an AI avatar who claims to be Russian and wants to marry a Chinese man. My latest:
voanews.com/a/ukrainian-yo… Here Olga talked to me about how she found out about it.

She is far from the only woman who unknowingly became “Russian beauties” on Chinese internet. Videos of their AI avatars popped up everywhere around Lunar New Year. They all make pro-China comments and sell Russian goods.
Oct 30, 2023 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
People across China have been mourning, openly and quietly, the death of the country’s former premier Li Keqiang. Online discussions of his passing can be found but are very much restricted. Here are what China has been censoring so far, with Weibo being used as an example. 1/ - Li Keqiang’s name is censored, which comes as no surprise as most top Chinese leaders’ names are off limits in online discussions.

- Premier (or Prime Minister) is censored. Not sure if this has always been the case but no surprise here either. 2/
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Oct 8, 2023 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Chinese netizens are going crazy over the Israel-Palestine conflict because Muslims and Jews have long been two of the most hated foreign groups on China’s internet. I’ve always found China’s online antisemitism to be interesting but also confusing. I don’t think there’s been any conflicts between China and Israel/Chinese and Jews? There used to be a sub-subculture on China’s internet where people posted photos of themselves dressed as Nazis.
Sep 21, 2023 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
For the past week or so, India has become a target of misinformation, contempt and racist jokes on China's internet for its growing role in Apple's manufacturing network. Ahead of the new iPhone release on Friday, some netizens are calling for boycotting India-made iPhone 15s. 1/ For the first time, Apple will sell iPhones made in India on release day. India now makes about 7% of iPhones while China is still the dominating force in Apple's manufacturing. But India's role will only increase in the next few years. 2/
theverge.com/2023/9/12/2386…
Sep 18, 2023 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
An Apple employee's photo has caused a wave of online nationalism in China over the weekend. Netizens accuse Apple of discrimination for posting an allegedly "ugly" Asian employee's photo on its Chinese website. Image Netizens say that the employee's appearance resembles that of a typical Chinese person from the Qing dynasty and characters from old racist cartoons in the West. Some claimed that the photo was only used on Apple's Chinese website to humiliate its costumers.
Feb 28, 2023 • 15 tweets • 5 min read
China's latest criticism of the US government ban on TikTok, including calling the US "unsure of itself", failed to resonate with Chinese netizens.

Deriding China's convenient support for open market in defending TikTok, netizens ask "what about Twitter and Facebook"? 1/ White House on Monday told federal agencies to remove TikTok from any government devices and systems. 2/
Feb 23, 2023 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
Chinese state media and nationalist commentators have seized on and amplified what appeared to be the revealing of US President Biden’s secret plan to destroy Taiwan.

Source? A joke tweeted by a DC radio show host that got taken seriously by a Taiwanese political pundit. For the past two days, Chinese state media such as Global Times, Reference News and Xiake Dao, an account managed by People’s Daily, reported that US President Biden privately said that there’s a plan to destroy Taiwan, according to a US media broadcaster. ImageImageImage
Feb 23, 2023 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
New Xinhua article looking back at the war in Ukraine puts US front and center as the culprit: “The crisis only reached this point because of the persistent Cold War mentality, addiction to zero-sum games and enthusiasm for confrontations possessed by the US-led NATO.” Xinhua asserts that the West is using Ukraine as its proxy to weaken Russia, which is exactly how Kremlin has framed the West’s assistance to Ukraine. Here is what Putin said in his state of the union speech on Tuesday:
Feb 21, 2023 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
Putin's state of the union speech has been widely covered by Chinese media, where his talking points are repeated uncritically. Full translated text of his speech can be found and shared on social media. This is a stark contrast to how Biden's SOTU speech was censored in China. Several of Putin's talking points were relayed by Chinese media outlets, including the accusation that the war was started by the West and claims that Russia can't be defeated and that Russia aims at destroying the Nazis in Ukraine.
Feb 15, 2023 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
Now that China has made the Ohio train derailment the focal point of its recent anti-US propaganda, a bunch of nationalist commentators and influencers are doing what they do best--spreading misinformation, taking advantage of Chinese netizens's lack of access to foreign media. One of the most popular videos shared on China's social media shows purplish dark cloud covering almost the entire sky. Nationalist bloggers claim this was caused by hazardous chemicals released into the air after the the train derailment.
Feb 14, 2023 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
PRC spokesperson asks why Western media has barely reported on Nord Stream 2 &train derailment in Ohio and instead spent so much time covering balloons, when answering question if China is using these two incidents to distract the public from the balloon saga. Image He says that this is not the first time that Western media has been silent and that the US should hold itself accountable to the world.
Feb 9, 2023 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
It’s becoming common practice now. WeChat blocked translated excerpts of Biden’s SOTU speech posted by the US embassy in China. Meanwhile state media and pro-government influencers are freely criticizing the speech, especially the parts on China.
Jan 7, 2023 • 18 tweets • 4 min read
China’s online nationalists, who used to the biggest proponents of the country’s anti-Covid measures, are now spreading misinformation about Paxlovid, a Covid drug developed by Pfizer, which China has been distributing to local hospitals as waves of infections are surging. 1/ They question the drug's efficacy and accuse high profile experts with medical background who recommended Paxlovid of being bribed by Pfizer. Some even went as far as accusing a CCP Princeling of being in the pocket of the American company. 2/
Dec 17, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
Hu Xijin got dragged on Weibo by nationalists because of this tweet.

But this is just one of many attacks he received this week. His newfound but firm support for China's reopening has made him the newest antagonist in the nationalist circle. 1/ Prominent Chinese commentator Hu Xijin is in deep controversy this week after preaching China’s decision to reopen the country. He is accused by nationalists of downplaying the reportedly widespread Covid infections and lack of medical resources. 2/
Dec 13, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
While Covid is reportedly spreading fast and widely in Beijing, Weibo is censoring search result for topic "Pandemic in Beijing" (北京疫情), only showing posts from verified accounts, which helps reduce real time discussions about what's going on in the city. Search result for a bunch of related keywords got filtered too. They include:

"Beijing new cases" (北京新增)
"Beijing cases"（北京病例）
"Beijing medicine purchase" (北京买药)
“Beijing fever" (北京 发烧)
Dec 6, 2022 • 32 tweets • 7 min read
Teacher Li played a crucial role in helping Chinese protesters, then doxxing and attacks followed.

Plot twist: the attacks did not come from the Chinese government. They are from a famous US-based Chinese Twitter influencer who is supposedly critical of China. 1/ Last week, Teacher Li's twitter account, where he shared hundreds of protest videos sent to him from people inside China, became a source, if not the source, for journalists outside the country who reported on the recent anti-zero Covid demonstrations. 2/
Dec 5, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Fang Zhouzi is now doxxing Teacher Li in the name of protecting the public. In a threatening tone, he says he has Li's photo and "other information" but will withhold it for now. He still hasn't produced a shred of evidence so far but insists that Li is an international scammer. He also threatens to leave Twitter and move to another platform if Twitter suspends his account "in order to protect an international scam syndicate".