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Your small donation makes a big impact. Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. George Floyd and the global anti-racism movements have not just dominated headlines in the US and other western countries — in China, they have also become a major news topic. This is an overview of the general Chinese online media discussions of these global news developments, including all the big hashtags, from the George Floyd killing to global companies changing their policies amid concerns over racial stereotyping.
G eorge Floyd — it is a name that the entire world has come to know since the year-old black man was killed during an arrest in May of this year. The death of Floyd has sparked major Black Lives Matter protests around the world, inspiring international movements fighting against racism. The incident also led to unrest, riots, and the defacement of controversial statues in America and other countries. In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against systemic racism, many organizations and companies in western countries have also made various anti-racist statements and announced policy changes.

Minneapolis graffiti mural honoring George Floyd, photo by Munshots, Unsplash. In a year of COVID crisis and geopolitical tensions — including escalating China-US tensions and the passing of the national security law for Hong Kong -, many of the recent news stories do not stand alone. The way the news is reported and discussed in China by state media and web users is often part of larger narratives about China and its current relations within the international community.
Floyd was sitting in his car when officers arrived at the scene and was asked to step out of his vehicle. The video of the fatal arrest went viral on social media overnight, and soon led to people protesting in Minneapolis and elsewhere across the US, demanding justice over the fatal arrest. Tensions in Minnesota reached a boiling point and protests escalated to riots and lootings, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declaring a state of emergency on May On that same day, CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, a reporter of color, was arrested and handcuffed on live television together with his cameraman and producer while reporting on the situation in Minneapolis.
Although the CNN crew was released shortly after, the incident also further intensified the debate on discrimination and racism in America. On Weibo, news of the George Floyd incident and the American protests soon went trending with various related hashtags.
Many of the Weibo responses to the killing of George Floyd and its direct aftermath incorporated these developments into a bigger framework of strained US-China relations, pointing out the supposed American hypocrisy for criticizing China regarding freedom and human rights, especially in light of the COVIDcrisis and the Hong Kong situation. Is this called freedom?
Some Weibo users shared compilations showing American officers using excessive force and violence while beating and shooting down people during their work. But looking at it from another perspective, it still makes me envious because they have the guts to speak up, the courage to resist. If such a thing would happen in China, would you stand up? As George Floyd protests have now ignited a wave of anti-racism efforts across the globe, there are also new hashtags popping up on Chinese social media that are generating a lot of discussion.
Although the protesters denouncing racism and police brutality directly after the Floyd killing were often praised on Chinese social media, some of the latest efforts by companies and brands — showing wider consideration of racism in media, fashion, and entertainment — met less sympathy among Chinese web users. In late June, producers of The Simpsons announced that they will no longer let white actors do the voices of characters of color. This is fake so-called anti-racism. For many Asians, they just happen to think fair skin is pretty. Darlie toothpaste is a household name for many Chinese image via Sina Weibo.
The overall sentiment in response to this news is that many do not understand how changing the brand is helpful in the battle against social injustice. The latest anti-racism movement in western countries is clearly discussed in a very different way in the Chinese social media context than it is in the English-language social media sphere.
Another recurring sentiment is that anti-black racism is prioritized over racism against Asians. The different views among Chinese social media users on what is deemed racist or not has attracted wide attention before. The Chinese Qiaobi commercial drew much controversy for being racist in Similar responses also came up when the CCTV Gala caused consternation in foreign media for featuring a Chinese actress wearing blackface in a segment emphasizing Sino-African relations. These attitudes and general comments seem to suggest that racism or discrimination is just less of an issue in China, or that it is soon trivialized.
Is this the case? Issues of racism and discrimination are certainly not trivialized in China when it is about anti-Asian racism.
Throughout modern history, the Chinese have been victims of racism. Over recent years, there are myriad examples of collective anger and boycott campaigns because Chinese feel discriminated against.
After screenshots went viral of a China-bashing online conversation with the alleged Stefano Gabbana, the issue became one of the largest trending topics on Weibo in The COVID pandemic has also led to an increase in racism in the US and other countries directed at those of Asian descent, something that has recently become a hot topic on Chinese social media, triggering anger and calls for equal treatment of Asians. Is it, then, perhaps that discrimination and racial inequality within mainland China are not so much of an issue? This certainly is also not the case.
Besides the many different shapes and forms of discrimination — regional discrimination being one of them —, there are many examples of anti-black racism in China. Online racism against Africans has been an ongoing issue on Weibo ever since the platform was first launched in example , example. Voices against the discriminatory treatment of Africans in China have only grown louder during the coronavirus outbreak, when hundreds of Guangzhou-based Africans were evicted from hotels and apartments after local authorities began a campaign to forcibly test them for the coronavirus. All in all, it is not about racism being non-existent in China, nor is it trivialized.
The fact that the latest western developments are discussed in such a different light on Chinese social media has much more to do with how American and European anti-racist policies, and the grip they hold on media, politics, and the corporate world, are rejected by Chinese netizens. This does not mean that the Floyd incident is deemed any less horrific in China than elsewhere in the world. Social injustice and inequality are recurring topics on Chinese social media, and it is something that greatly matters to many Chinese web users, with these kinds of stories going trending all the time.
These responses have a lot to do with current geopolitical developments and the position of China within the international community, but more so with the fact that China has a very different historical, cultural, and societal context when it comes to anti-black racism compared to the US or other western countries. In the end, some say that they do understand the latest anti-racist initiatives by American and European companies in their home markets, but also argue that they should not impose their political correctness upon the Chinese market.
According to the author, these colors, words, and imageries mean something different in the PRC than in the West. To what extent the anti-racist movement will eventually affect the Chinese market, and how -and if- this will change existing views on racism remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, heated discussions continue on social media. By Manya Koetse Follow whatsonweibo. He became popular for his blackface performances, and the whiteness of his teeth made him the face of the toothpaste brand. First-time commenters, please be patient — we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears. Connect with us.
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