China Allegedly Censored Weibo Post Showing CCTV Newscaster Wearing Ukraine-Styled Outfit

By
Chloe Tan
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China continues to sit on the fence when it comes to the Russo-Ukraine war.

When a Weibo user linked a CCTV newscaster’s outfit to the Ukrainian flag’s colours, the post was allegedly taken down by the platform.

Here’s what happened.

Yellow and Blue Outfit Looks Like Ukraine’s Flag?

A Weibo user posted a picture of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s newscaster, claiming that she stands with Ukraine since the colours of her outfit look like those of the Ukrainian flag.

The Weibo user also implied that Russian president Vladimir Putin was a crazy man to have started the war, and called for the fighting to end.

Image: Weibo

However, one day later, the post can no longer be found on the user’s page. The user claimed that her post was removed by Weibo, and that she didn’t remove the post herself.

Image: Weibo

A translation of her post reads, “I didn’t remove the post myself, it was censored by the system! The brainless people who want to scold me, please verify your actual identity on your Weibo account before doing so! I express my personal views, respect all lives, resolutely oppose war!!!”

Comments on this post could not be seen either, presumably due to Weibo’s censorship.

Not Really Ukrainian Colours? 

The newscaster, while wearing that yellow-blue outfit, was reporting on the supply of NATO weapons to Ukraine, implying that NATO was to blame for the invasion.

The original post by the Weibo user sparked debate amongst netizens, who questioned if the outfit was a deliberate choice to show her support.

However, a Reddit user provided a screenshot of the same newscaster, which showed that the blue of her outfit was a lot darker than Ukraine’s flag.

Another Weibo user also posted a similar screenshot that showed different colours, and accused the original poster for photoshopping the picture.

Image: Reddit
Image: Weibo

Maybe the colours appeared different on the original poster’s screen? Or did she really photoshop the picture? We’ll never know.

However, we do know that CCTV is a state-owned broadcaster, which always reports according to the government’s position.

Thus, it would be highly unlikely for the outfit to be a deliberate show of support for Ukraine, since China hasn’t exactly taken a side in the conflict.

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China Still Hasn’t Condemned Russia For Its Actions

BTW, remember how China refused to call Russia’s invasion an invasion, and labelled it a “legitimate security concern” instead?

They haven’t changed their position on the war, which is apparently to take no sides. Although they have emphasized the importance of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, they haven’t condemned Russia’s actions.

Their unwillingness to take sides have also translated into their Internet. Posts and comments expressing sympathy toward Ukraine have been censored on their social media.

This includes the censoring of an open letter signed by five prominent university professors that condemned Russia for its actions.

The government has also been removing comments supporting Russia and bashing Ukraine. They had called on Chinese netizens to talk about the situation “rationally”.

Leaked instructions on how to cover the crisis from a Chinese news outlet to its reporters also showed that China doesn’t want to be seen as anti-Russia, but also not pro-West either.

But with mounting international pressure for countries to take a side, who knows whether China’s stance will change in the future?

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Featured Image: Weibo

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Chloe Tan
Email: [email protected]