New Delhi: Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, the Chinese state-owned newspaper, has reportedly been banned from social media for 30 days, after a now deleted blog post by him argued that China has acknowledged the importance of private economy.
The former editor-in-chief of the Chinese newspaper, mistakenly argued that absence of the reference to “public ownership remains the mainstay” from the recent Third Plenum Communiqué earlier in July, is an acknowledgment of the capitalist economy, according to Foreign Policy.
Hu is famous for championing China’s aggressive foreign policy – known as wolf-warrior diplomacy – while also known for his opinions on issues, which have been outlandish in the past.
For example, in 2021, famed Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai accused a retired leader of the Chinese Communist Party of sexual assault. Hu accused Peng of being coerced by Western forces to “demonise” China’s system on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Some Western forces are coercing Peng Shuai and an institution, forcing them to help demonize China’s system. https://t.co/H8hw453COI
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) November 23, 2021
The Third Plenum is a four-day plenary session of the Central Committee since its members were elected in 2022 and was convened between 15-18 July 2024.
It is an important event as in the past it has generally set the economic policy of the country for the foreseeable future.
The closed door meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, set the stage for China’s economic policy till 2029. The Communist Party of China (CPC) convenes a major congress twice every decade, which elects the Central Committee – the party’s top decision-making body.
In between the major congress’ it holds seven plenums or plenary sessions attended by all its members.
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping’s famed economic reforms and opening up of the Chinese economy was announced at the Third Plenum.
Hu’s comments on capitalism immediately led to social media furore, where other commentators stepped in to rebut his claims, before the censors stepped in, according to Foreign Policy.
This is not the first time he has fallen foul of China’s strict censors. He was active almost daily on his X account till his last post on 26 July 2024. Since then there have been no posts. His last post was just before the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: China keeps making a strategic blunder—underestimating India’s role in Quad