Taichung, Taiwan – One user on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, expressed their dislike for Americans, while another targeted Japanese individuals with hateful comments.
Xenophobic and hyper-nationalistic remarks are common on Chinese social media platforms, despite promises by tech firms to address hate speech following incidents of violence against Japanese and American nationals in the country.
In recent months, there have been several attacks on foreign nationals in China, including a tragic incident in which a 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy was killed in Shenzhen.
Furthermore, a knife attack on American college instructors in Jilin strained relations between the US and China, with accusations of a lack of transparency from Chinese authorities regarding the incident.
Despite expressing regret over the attacks and sending condolences to the victims’ families, China maintains that these stabbings were isolated occurrences.
While hate speech against foreigners is on the rise in China, efforts to curb it by tech companies face challenges, as the algorithms used to distribute content are not transparent.
In the pursuit of engagement, some Chinese influencers resort to hyper-nationalistic content to attract attention, contributing to the prevalence of hate speech online.
The deep-rooted animosity towards foreigners in China, particularly Japanese individuals, can be traced back to historical conflicts and territorial disputes.
Efforts to combat hate speech in China are impeded by a heavily censored online environment, where crackdowns on sensitive topics are routine. Despite promises to address xenophobia, the tech companies’ reluctance to police hate speech effectively hinders progress.
The sheer volume of information on social media platforms makes it difficult to eradicate hate speech completely, even with moderation efforts. Some believe that China’s evolving relationships with other countries and its growing influence will diminish anti-foreigner sentiments in the future.
