China Media
“Invincible Russia”? Putin’s Speech Discussed on Chinese Social Media
“We should support peace talks, and oppose America adding fuel to the fire,” one top commenter on Weibo wrote after Putin’s speech.

Published
2 years agoon

Putin’s speech on Tuesday, the annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, has triggered online discussions about Russia, the Ukraine war, and China’s position.
The speech that Russian President Putin delivered in Moscow has become a trending topic on Chinese social media. In the hot search lists on the Weibo app, the state-of-the-nation address even became one of the most popular hashtags on Tuesday (#普京国情咨文建华#).
In his lengthy speech, Putin portrayed the United States as an evil and aggressive global power, stating that its military actions have caused the deaths of thousands of people since 2001 and that the U.S. and other Western nations, along with Ukraine, are to blame for the ongoing war.
Early on in his address, Putin suggested that, even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was already the goal of Western leaders to destabilize Russia and make the Russian people suffer. “They don’t care about the world,” he said, claiming Western people were used as “tools of lies,” just as Ukraine was being exploited as an “anti-Russian tool” and “launch pad” against Russia:
“The Western elites do not hide their goal of defeating Russia. They want to take us off the map. They want to turn a local conflict into a global confrontation. And this is how we understand this, and we will respond adequately. Because this is now about the very existence of our country. But they cannot ignore the fact that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield, so they are waging increasingly aggressive information attacks.”
The Russian leader blamed the West for creating a “spiritual catastrophe” by “distorting truths,” “attacking Russian culture” and the “orthodox church.” He stressed that Russian faith is the faith of the country, criticizing how the holy texts’ teachings on the family as a union between woman and man have become “increasingly doubted” in the West, where the Church of England is now considering the idea of a “gender-neutral God.” He said: “They don’t know what they’re doing, what can we say, may God forgive them.”
The later parts of Putin’s address were very much focused on Russia and its future, including its economy, education, infrastructure, the strengthening of the state and Russian culture – overall, painting a picture of a strong and confident Russia.
In line with that discourse of a Russia that would “fully count on its own potential,” Putin also stated that Russia would suspend the last nuclear treaty with the United States.
“Not a single country in the world is invincible.”
On Weibo, multiple hashtags related to Putin’s speech are making their rounds. One of them is “Putin States Russia is Invincible” (#普京称俄罗斯是不可战胜的#), initiated by state media outlet Global Times, and “Putin Reiterates That Ukraine Provoked the War” (#普京重申是乌克兰挑起战争#) or “Putin Says the West Started the War” (#普京称是西方发动战争#).
Another hashtag, also hosted by Global Times, was about Russia suspending its participation in the New START treaty (#普京宣布俄暂停参与新削减战略武器条约#).
Most of the comment sections of the threads dedicated to Putin’s speech on Weibo only allow selected comments to appear. One post by Global Times about Putin’s claims that it is “the West” that started the war had over 400 replies, yet only a few were displayed.
Nevertheless, from the hundreds of comments across Weibo underneath the many different new posts – some using creative language and word jokes, – it becomes apparent that Weibo commenters are very roughly separated into three groups when it comes to Putin’s speech: those who support Putin’s words and make pro-Russian remarks, mainly in the context of anti-Americanism; those who do not pick sides but just want the war to end (without China getting involved); and those who joke about Putin and Russia’s alleged desperate attempts to bring out the glow despite its fading victory. The latter group is not necessarily anti-Russian, but they also do not have confidence in Russia’s military power (also read: Why Russia Is Nicknamed the “Weak Goose” on Chinese Social Media.)
“There’s not a single country in the world that is invincible,” one Weibo user wrote, with others suggesting that Russia is “crying without tears” and is tightly embracing its nuclear weapons because they are losing the war.
“He’s becoming as comical as Trump now,” another commenter said about Putin. Meanwhile, a topic about Donald Trump claiming he could solve the Russia-Ukraine war “in 24 Hours” also attracted attention on Chinese social media (#特朗普称能24小时解决俄乌冲突#).
“It’s funny, when the Russia-Ukraine war just started, so many people were supporting Russia, but I can see they are changing direction now,” another blogger wrote.
“Who you support and who you oppose all depends on who our enemy is. The United States is now our enemy. So do we support Russia or Ukraine?”
The Russian Embassy in China also posted about the speech on their Weibo account, highlighting Putin’s comments blaming the United States for starting the war. Most of the comments replying to that post were in support of Russia and expressed anti-American sentiments. “American hegemony and their plundering are the source of all chaos in the world,” one typical comment said.
“The enemy of our enemy is our friend,” one Shandong-based blogger (@大风吹奏) wrote: “The friends of the enemy are our enemies. This is the plain and simple logic of the ordinary people. So who you support and who you oppose all depends on who our enemy is. The United States is now our enemy. So do we support Russia or Ukraine? It’s self-evident.”
This week, US Secretary Antony Blinken met with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference. Afterward, Blinken expressed concerns over Chinese companies supporting Russia and China potentially supplying weapons to Russia in the near future.
On Monday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) responded, saying that the one providing weapons to the battlefield was the United States, and not China (“向战场源源不断提供武器的是美方而不是中方”). Wang Yi also had a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the margins of the Munich Security Conference.
At the same time, U.S. President Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine and met with President Zelensky for first time since the start of the war. During the visit, Biden vowed that the US will back Ukraine in its fight against Russia for “as long as it takes.”
According to Chinese political commentator Hu Xijin (胡锡进), who wrote a column about Putin’s speech on his Weibo account, the spotlight appearance of both Putin and Biden showed the stark difference between the 70-year-old “quick-witted and eloquent” Putin and the 80-year-old seemingly “confused” Biden.
But Hu Xijin wrote that the outcome of the Ukrainian war is still very much up in the air, and that it is important for China to stay out of it. Instead of being forced to pick a side in the conflict, China should keep advocating for righteousness and justice and focus on its own development.
Hu’s stance is very much in line with the official narrative on China’s position in the Ukraine war. Although it may officially be “neutral” when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine War, it is not neutral when it comes to the United States and the role it plays on the world stage today.
On February 20, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a report titled “the US Hegemony and Its Perils” (“美国的霸权霸道霸凌及其危害”), in which it condemned the U.S. for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and instigating “color revolutions” and regional conflicts. The report also suggested that in Ukraine, as well as in other countries, United States is “repeating its tactics” of waging proxy wars (see English version/Chinese version).
Regarding Putin’s speech: besides the openly pro-Russian comments and the more neutral ones, there are very few social media comments on Weibo at the time of writing that are strongly opposing Russia. There are also little to none that are in favor of China getting involved in this war.
“We should support peace talks, and oppose America adding fuel to the fire,” one top commenter on Weibo replied, with another saying: “Oppose war, choose peace, stay neutral.”
Many netizens say they just want the war to end. “Know when to stop, world peace now,” one person wrote. “Wake me up when World War Three is over.”
One US-based Weibo user wrote: “They’ve been fighting for a year, enough already, let there be peace.”
By Manya Koetse
with contributions by Miranda Barnes
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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

China Media
12-Year-Old Girl from Shandong Gets Infected with HPV: Viral Case Exposes Failures in Protecting Minors
A doctor in Tai’an faced resistance when she tried to report a 12-year-old girl’s HPV case. She then turned to social media instead.

Published
2 months agoon
December 18, 2024
A 12-year-old girl from Shandong was diagnosed with HPV at a local hospital. When a doctor attempted to report the case, she faced resistance. Weibo users are now criticizing how the incident was handled.
Over the past week, there has been significant uproar on Chinese social media regarding how authorities, official channels, and state media in China have handled cases of sexual abuse and rape involving female victims and male perpetrators, often portraying the perpetrators in a way that appears to diminish their culpability.
One earlier case, which we covered here, involved a mentally ill female MA graduate from Shanxi who had been missing for over 13 years. She was eventually found living in the home of a man who had been sexually exploiting her, resulting in at least two children. The initial police report described the situation as the woman being “taken in” or “sheltered” by the man, a phrasing that outraged many netizens for seemingly portraying the man as benevolent, despite his actions potentially constituting rape.
Adding to the outrage, it was later revealed that local authorities and villagers had been aware of the situation for years but failed to intervene or help the woman escape her circumstances.
Currently, another case trending online involves a 12-year-old girl from Tai’an, Shandong, who was admitted to the hospital in Xintai on December 12 after testing positive for HPV.
HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection that can infect both men and women. Over 80% of women experience HPV infection at least once in their lifetime. While most HPV infections clear naturally within two years, some high-risk HPV types can cause serious illness including cancer.
“How can you be sure she was sexually assaulted?”
The 12-year-old girl in question had initially sought treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease, but upon review, her doctor discovered that she had been previously treated for vaginitis six months earlier. During further discussions with the girl, the doctor learned she had been sexually active with a boy five years her senior and was no longer attending school.
Given that the age of consent in China is 14 years old, the doctor sought to report the case to authorities. However, this effort was reportedly met with resistance from the hospital’s medical department, where she was allegedly questioned: “How can you be sure she was sexually assaulted?”
When attempts to escalate the case to the women’s federation and health commission went unanswered, the doctor turned to a blogger she knew (@反射弧超长星人影九) for help in raising awareness.
The blogger shared the story on Weibo but failed to receive a response through private messages from the Tai’an Police. They then contacted a police-affiliated Weibo channel they were familiar with, which eventually succeeded in alerting the Shandong police, prompting the formation of an investigation team.
As a result, on December 16, the 17-year-old boy was arrested and is now facing legal criminal measures.
According to Morning News (@新闻晨报), the boy in question is the 17-year-old Li (李某某), who had been in contact with the girl through the internet since May of 2024 after which they reportedly “developed a romantic relationship” and had “sexual relations.”
Meanwhile, fearing for her job, the doctor reportedly convinced the blogger to delete or privatize the posts. The blogger was also contacted by the hospital, which had somehow obtained the blogger’s phone number, asking for the post to be taken down. Despite this, the case had already gone viral.
The blogger, meanwhile, expressed frustration after the case gained widespread media traction, accusing others of sharing it simply to generate traffic. They argued that once the police had intervened, their goal had been achieved.
But the case goes beyond this specific story alone, and sparked broader criticisms on Chinese social media. Netizens have pointed out systemic failures that did not protect the girl, including the child’s parents, her school, and the hospital’s medical department, all of whom appeared to have ignored or silenced the issue. As WeChat blogging account Xinwenge wrote: “They all tacitly colluded.”
Xinwenge also referenced another case from 2020 involving a minor in Dongguang, Liaoning, who was raped and subsequently underwent an abortion. After the girl’s mother reported the incident to the police, the procuratorate discovered that a hospital outpatient department had performed the abortion but failed to report it as required by law. The procuratorate notified the health bureau, which fined the hospital 20,000 yuan ($2745) and revoked the department’s license.
Didn’t the hospital in Tai’an also violate mandatory reporting requirements? Additionally, why did the school allow a 12-year-old girl to drop out of the compulsory education programme?
“This is not a “boyfriend” or a “romantic relationship.””
The media reporting surrounding this case also triggered anger, as it failed to accurately phrase the incident as involving a raped minor, instead describing it as a girl having ‘sexual relations’ with a much older ‘boyfriend.’
Under Chinese law, engaging in sexual activity with someone under 14, regardless of their perceived willingness, is considered statutory rape. A 12-year-old is legally unable to give consent to sexual activity.
“The [Weibo] hashtag should not be “12-Year-Old Infected with HPV, 17-Year-Old Boyfriend Arrested” (#12岁女孩感染HPV其17岁男友被抓#); it should instead be “17-Year-Old Boy Sexually Assaulted 12-Year-Old, Causing Her to Become Infected” (#17岁男孩性侵12岁女孩致其感染#).”
Another blogger wrote: “First, we had the MA graduate from Shanxi who was forced into marriage and having kids, and it was called “being sheltered.” Now, we have a little girl from Shandong being raped and contracting HPV, and it was called “having a boyfriend.” A twelve-year-old is just a child, a sixth-grader in elementary school, who had been sexually active for over six months. This is not a “boyfriend” or a “romantic relationship.” The proper way to say it is that a 17-year-old male lured and raped a 12-year-old girl, infecting her with HPV.”
By now, the case has garnered widespread attention. The hashtag “12-Year-Old Infected with HPV, 17-Year-Old Boyfriend Arrested” (#12岁女孩感染HPV其17岁男友被抓#) has been viewed over 160 million times on Weibo, while the hashtag “Official Notification on 12-Year-Old Infected with HPV” (#官方通报12岁女孩感染hpv#) has received over 90 million clicks.
Besides the outrage over the individuals and institutions that tried to suppress the story, this incident has also sparked a broader discussion about the lack of adequate and timely sexual education for minors in Chinese schools. Liu Wenli (刘文利), an expert in children’s sexual education, argued on Weibo that both parents and schools play critical roles in teaching children about sex, their bodies, personal boundaries, and the risks of engaging with strangers online.
“Protecting children goes beyond shielding them from HPV infection,” Liu writes. “It means safeguarding them from all forms of harm. Sexual education is an essential part of this process, ensuring every child’s healthy and safe development.”
Many netizens discussing this case have expressed hope that the female doctor who brought the issue to light will not face repercussions or lose her job. They have praised her for exposing the incident and pursuing justice for the girl, alongside the efforts of those on Weibo who helped amplify the story.
The blogger who played a key role in exposing the story recently wrote: “I sure hope the authorities will give an award to the female doctor for reported this case in accordance with the law.” For some, the doctor is nothing short of a hero: “This doctor truly is my role model.”
By Manya Koetse, with contributions by Miranda Barnes
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
China Media
Hu Xijin’s Comeback to Weibo
After 90 days of silence, Hu Xijin is back on Weibo—but not everyone’s thrilled.

Published
3 months agoon
November 7, 2024
A SHORTER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE WAS PART OF THE MOST RECENT WEIBO WATCH NEWSLETTER.
For nearly 100 days, since July 27, the well-known social and political commentator Hu Xijin (胡锡进) remained silent on Chinese social media. This was highly unusual for the columnist and former Global Times editor-in-chief, who typically posts multiple Weibo updates daily, along with regular updates on his X account and video commentaries. His Weibo account boasts over 24.8 million followers.
Various foreign media outlets speculated that his silence might be related to comments he previously made about the Third Plenum and Chinese economics, especially regarding China’s shift to treating public and private enterprises equally. But without any official statement, Chinese netizens were left to speculate about his whereabouts.
Most assumed he had, in some way, taken a “wrong” stance in his commentary on the economy and stock market, or perhaps on politically sensitive topics like the Suzhou stabbing of a Japanese student, which might have led to his being sidelined for a while. He certainly wouldn’t be the first prominent influencer or celebrity to disappear from social media and public view—when Alibaba’s Jack Ma seemed to have fallen out of favor with authorities, he went missing, sparking public concern.
After 90 days of absence, the most-searched phrases on Weibo tied to Hu Xijin’s name included:
胡锡进解封 “Hu Xijin ban lifted”
胡锡进微博解禁 “Hu Xijin’s Weibo account unblocked”
胡锡进禁言 “Hu Xijin silenced”
胡锡进跳楼 “Hu Xijin jumped off a building”
On October 31, Hu suddenly reappeared on Weibo with a post praising the newly opened Chaobai River Bridge, which connects Beijing to Dachang in Hebei—where Hu owns a home—significantly reducing travel time and making the more affordable Dachang area attractive to people from Beijing. The post received over 9,000 comments and 25,000 likes, with many welcoming back the old journalist. “You’re back!” and “Old Hu, I didn’t see you on Weibo for so long. Although I regularly curse your posts, I missed you,” were among the replies.
When Hu wrote about Trump’s win, the top comment read: “Old Trump is back, just like you!”
Not everyone, however, is thrilled to see Hu’s return. Blogger Bad Potato (@一个坏土豆) criticized Hu, claiming that with his frequent posts and shifting views, he likes to jump on trends and gauge public opinion—but is actually not very skilled at it, allegedly contributing to a toxic online environment.
Other bloggers have also taken issue with Hu’s tendency to contradict himself or backtrack on stances he takes in his posts.
Some have noted that while Hu has returned, his posts seem to lack “soul.” For instance, his recent two posts about Trump’s win were just one sentence each. Perhaps, now that his return is fresh, Hu is carefully treading the line on what to comment on—or not.
Nevertheless, a post he made on November 3rd sparked plenty of discussion. In it, Hu addressed the story of math ‘genius’ Jiang Ping (姜萍), the 17-year-old vocational school student who made it to the top 12 of the Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition earlier this year. As covered in our recent newsletter, the final results revealed that both Jiang and her teacher were disqualified for violating rules about collaborating with others.
In his post, Hu criticized the “Jiang Ping fever” (姜萍热) that had flooded social media following her initial qualification, as well as Jiang’s teacher Wang Runqiu (王润秋), who allegedly misled the underage Jiang into breaking the rules.
The post was somewhat controversial because Hu himself had previously stated that those who doubted Jiang’s sudden rise as a math talent and presumed her guilty of cheating were coming from a place of “darkness.” That post, from June 23 of this year, has since been deleted.
Despite the criticism, some appreciate Hu’s consistency in being inconsistent: “Hu Xijin remains the same Hu Xijin, always shifting with the tide.”
Hu has not directly addressed his absence from Weibo. Instead, he shared a photo of himself from 1978, when he joined the military. In that post, he reflected on his journey of growth, learning, and commitment to the country. Judging by his renewed frequency of posting, it seems he’s also recommitted to Weibo.
By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
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