China’s internet censors took down a popular influencer showing a tofu tank, which suddenly made this year internet users aware of an issue that was mostly ignored: Beijing’s tank man on June 4, 1989. Political expert Shaun Rein explains how the censor shot into his own food at ABC News.
ABC News:
“I didn’t know before, but now I think I know,” said one user on Weibo, where self-censoring posts using vague language to refer to sensitive topics are commonplace to evade censors and prevent account suspensions.
The apparent censoring of Li’s show has had the contrary effect of drawing more attention to it and to what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989, said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai.
“For many Chinese users, taking Li offline at this time could have the opposite effect of bringing attention to an incident that nobody in China usually talks about,” said Rein.
Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your (online) meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
Are you looking for more strategic experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.
