In just about a minute Monday afternoon, China Eastern flight MU5735 descended 20,000 feet, killing all 132 people on board in one of the country’s worst aviation tragedies in recent times. With the cause of the crash unknown, some Chinese social media users turned to conspiracy theories and suspected the involvement of the United States in the accident.
The outpouring of grief following the crash of a Boeing 737-800 jet near Wuzhou in the Guangxi region flooded Chinese social media. Videos of the forest fire that resulted from the crash near Molang village close to Wuzhou city circulated on Monday and Tuesday. China Eastern Airlines turned its websites to a black and white colour scheme to mark the tragic crash.
The search item “China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes with 132 people on board” was the number one trend on Baidu. The hashtag “mu5735” was viewed 2.4 billion times on Weibo.
The MU5735 crash is a tragedy, but there is no end to conspiracy theories in a world rife with disinformation.
Also read: China plane crash: Radar tracking shows aircraft was ‘descending steeply’
Two theories, both involve the US
Some Weibo users wondered if any Chinese scientist died in the crash and if the US caused it.
“China has refused to follow the United States and Europe in condemning and sanctioning Russia, maintaining a neutral attitude in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This air crash must be the handiwork of the Americans,” wrote a Weibo user.
“When my mother heard the news, her first reaction was: ‘Did the United States do it?’…” wrote another Weibo user. A few pointed out that Boeing is a US-based company.
Other Weibo users asked people to think “rationally”. “We should not blindly assume that the Boeing company of the United States is doing something wrong and the 737 series is shoddy. Aviation accidents in China are close to 0,” wrote a Weibo user.
Another conspiracy theory was about the US allegedly using cyberweapons against China.
“Is it possible the United States invaded the aircraft’s network control system and caused the tragedy?” wrote a Weibo user.
The cyberweapon conspiracy started on Tuesday after a hashtag “US’s cyberweapon against China exposed” trended on Weibo. The trend was based on a Global Times story about the US’ Quantum cyberattack system that hijacks and monitors people’s social media accounts.
Also read: Boeing 737 that crashed in China has good safety record, unlike the Max
Shock for China’s aviation industry
China used to have a poor air safety record about two decades ago. Today, the rate of aircraft accidents in China is 0.29 per million flying hours, which is better than aircraft safety standards. China’s last major aviation accident happened in 2010 when the Henan Airlines flight Embraer E190 crashed due to poor visibility.
In 2020, China Eastern Airlines reportedly received a cash infusion of $4.6 billion from state-backed China Life Investment Holding Ltd, Shanghai Jiushi Group, China Reform Holdings Corp, and China Tourism Group. The airlines had reported a loss of 8.5 billion yuan in the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic.
China’s airlines have always been controlled by state-owned enterprises as a strategic asset. The Beijing government has recently allowed the construction of new commercial airports in strategically sensitive regions, but many of these new airports have a dual-use purpose. The collaboration between private entrepreneurs from the US had helped open China’s airspace in some of its most remote regions during the early 2000s.
The aviation technology developed by the Naverus group made the first flight to Nyingchi airport in Tibet possible. Nyingchi airport’s altitude is 2,949 metres.
The rescue operation following the crash of MU5735 is in full gear with multiple organs of China’s disaster management system pressed into service. President Xi Jinping ordered the immediate launch of an emergency rescue operation.
The author is a columnist and a freelance journalist, currently pursuing an MSc in international politics with focus on China from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He was previously a China media journalist at the BBC World Service. He tweets @aadilbrar. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)