BEIJING: The Chinese government on Monday maintained a studied silence on the unprecedented expulsion of three of its journalists from India, despite considerable debate on the issue on social media.
The three journalists — Wu Qiang, Tang Lu and She Yonggang — were ordered to leave India by July 31. Officials said the three were involved in activities beyond their journalistic brief.
Nationalistic tabloid The Global Times’ editorials, calling India’s decision a “petty” one and warning of retaliation, were shared numerous times across Weibo platforms.
Many online users said China’s neighbours were creating trouble, in part a reference to the recent South China Sea arbitration which Beijing lost to Philippines.
“Just one South China Sea arbitration and surrounding nations are all disturbing China now,” one user said.
Another wrote: “Our nation will be facing an era of surrounding tensions, the Sino-India border issue will certainly tighten the pressure on South and East China Sea. Seriously, you really deem Indian people idiots?”
Some poured scorn on India, talking about polluted water and lack of safety for women.
{{/usCountry}}Some poured scorn on India, talking about polluted water and lack of safety for women.
{{/usCountry}}Journalists in Beijing and elsewhere reacted to the reports mostly with disbelief – some with resentment. “India has always been unfriendly to China. A colleague waited for more than six months to get a visa to work there,” a journalist said.
But the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led government hasn’t prevented its media or censored the topic of expulsions from its heavily monitored and censored Twitter-like Weibo social media platforms.