Hu Xijin laments hate against America & Japan, praises hero who saved Japanese mother & child

The senior opinion leader once disparaged as representing strident nationalism is now vocally against it, saying "China must stablize its relations with the entire West as much as possible."

Love him or hate him, Hu Xijin is a figure that can’t be avoided in the Chinese discourse for a generation - even in the West. The former Chief Editor of Global Times, when retiring in 2021, got dedicated stories across Western mainstream media. CNN said he was a “longtime editor of one of China’s most outspoken and nationalistic state media outlets.” The New York Times called him “A standout in China’s growing chorus of nationalist voices.” The Guardian described him as “a prominent voice of strident nationalism.”

If you look at his Twitter with over half a million followers, you’ll probably think he is still living up to the characterization. For example, his tweets in the past three days were mocking the U.S. presidential debate and its international behavior, celebrating China’s landing on the far side of the moon and interception of some U.S. anti-submarine device in the South China Sea. Not unjustifiably, perhaps, but the tone is clear.

But that’s just one - perhaps minor - side of the Old Hu, the third-person he calls himself in Chinese-language articles. In the domestic discourse, maybe in changes that the most sophisticated public opinion leader in a generation hadn’t anticipated, Hu Xijin has morphed into a bastion against - let’s put it this way, for now - extreme nationalism, which not few blame him for nurturing in the first place.

Also, Hu has increasingly become the loudest but skillful and careful petitioner - among the visible ones - for more space for the Chinese media. But this was not difficult to foresee, as one “old friend of the Chinese people” once put to me, Hu “believes in greater freedom of the press in China than most people would expect of him.”

Hu has long prided himself on navigating and explaining a 复杂中国 “complicated China,” and the change of his positioning in public opinion - voluntary or not - may be a footnote to how developments have complicated China.

Below are Hu’s two most recent WeChat blog posts, on June 28 and 27 respectively, which he also shared on his Twitter-like Weibo account, followed by 24.9 million accounts.

挡住尖刀的她是中国人民善良、正义的缩影

She blocked the knife attack and represents a symbol of the kindness and justice of the Chinese people

The story of Suzhou woman Hu Youping, who bravely blocked an assailant in a critical moment and saved the lives of a Japanese mother and child, was fully revealed today. She paid with her life for her heroic actions, deeply moving countless people and garnering widespread sympathy and admiration for her courage and kindness at the critical moment. There is broad support for posthumously awarding Hu Youping the title of "Model of Courageous Action" in Suzhou. I believe that she will be forever remembered by the city of Suzhou and Chinese society. The Japanese Embassy in China lowered its flag to half-mast to mourn Ms. Hu Youping. The knife attack occurred on Monday (June 24th), and it has been discussed online for several days.

On Tuesday (June 25th), a brief official readout [from the local police] was issued, but local mainstream media did not follow up with in-depth reporting.

For some time, when sensitive incidents occur, mainstream media often remain silent at first, waiting to relay official brief messages, leaving significant gaps in public discourse. People are left to seek information through unofficial channels.

For instance, after the Suzhou knife attack, Japanese media reported that the Chinese woman who blocked the attacker was a guide on a Japanese school bus. She was seriously injured while preventing the attacker from boarding the bus and committing further crimes. However, today's official report states that Hu Youping "noticed someone with a knife attacking others at a bus stop and immediately rushed forward without hesitation to stop it." Even experienced journalists like me cannot judge whether the Japanese media's earlier detail about her blocking the attacker from boarding the bus was incorrect.

The official report cannot cover all public concerns in detail, but this is a task for mainstream media. Suzhou or Jiangsu local media should strive to restore the truth of the incident as comprehensively as possible, meeting people's various information needs surrounding the event.

Nowadays, when sensitive incidents occur, most local authorities adopt a low-key approach, which has become a general approach in grassroots work. In many cases, this approach is reasonable, but sometimes, handling things too quietly may not yield the best results. For example, in incidents involving foreign nationals, there is significant international attention, leading to continuous reports and speculations, and statements from officials of the relevant countries. This information inevitably flows into the domestic sphere, affecting public perceptions and attitudes to some extent. Furthermore, as the location of the incident, if China discloses information too simply, it will contrast sharply with the extensive foreign voices, which is worth reflecting.

Objectively speaking, the Suzhou case, involving Japanese nationals and resulting in the death of a Chinese woman after severe injuries, is an accidental event. Regardless of the perpetrator's intentions, this characterization holds. However, this incident is by no means trivial; its impact is far greater than ordinary cases, which everyone can sense. Therefore, we need to acknowledge the event's impact and respond appropriately and responsibly. In this incident, Hu Youping embodies the kindness and justice of our society. The more timely and fully her deeds are reported, the more it benefits the comprehensive understanding of the event domestically and internationally.

In recent days, a few online commentators have made cynical remarks about the Chinese woman saving Japanese children. Although these voices are few, they are very noticeable. After the official expression of intent to posthumously award Hu Youping the title of "Model of Courageous Action" today, these voices quickly diminished and disappeared.

Therefore, as a veteran media professional, I earnestly hope that Hu Youping's story will receive more coverage. She is the pride of Suzhou and the entire Chinese society. Suzhou, as an open city with many Japanese residents, should do more to honor this contemporary folk hero. Personally, I also hope that in the future, whenever sensitive incidents occur, mainstream media will participate in information collection and dissemination from the outset. Media are crucial resources and key links in modern governance and should not be marginalized in critical moments. No matter how complex the issue, their participation will provide clearer guidance in public discourse, making people more informed.

仇美仇日，就是爱国？

Hating America and Japan is patriotism?

Chinese people generally care a lot about international affairs. This concern stems partly from China's historical entanglement with external forces and the heavy burden of current international engagements. Additionally, discussing domestic topics often involves many sensitive points, making it difficult, whereas foreign topics are relatively more open. Criticizing U.S. imperialism or Japanese militarism, for example, poses no problem. However, we must avoid excessively exaggerating external challenges and hostility online, which turns extreme nationalism into a commodity, blaming most of China's issues on external factors. This is not conducive to maintaining a fundamentally objective public discourse. The over-excited emotions stirred by such rhetoric can hinder the effective application of foreign policy and might pressure officials' statements on certain issues.

All societies have a basic sense of patriotism, which can become intense due to conflicts and frictions between countries. Patriotism itself can lead to conflicts and even confrontations. However, as a developing major power, China is committed to opening up, and this openness is crucial for our further development. We must promote patriotism while maintaining a rational and clear perspective on international conflicts, assisting and cooperating with the state to keep these conflicts at the state-to-state level, and reducing their spread to the societal level, which benefits conflict management and increases the likelihood of turning points or easing tensions.

In other words, while states can conflict and compete, we should strive for amicable relations with the societies and peoples of other nations. In state conflicts, we support our government but should do so properly and effectively, avoiding extending this support into hatred for the other side, and preventing mutual animosity between societies and peoples.

Currently, the international community largely operates under a "jungle law." When discussing international rules and ethics, the starting point for all countries is their national interest. EU foreign minister Borrell recently openly stated, "Diplomacy is the art of managing double standards." A hegemonic country like the United States will try to maintain its dominant position by any means. Any country with potential to challenge it will be suppressed. Even if you don't have the intention to challenge it, merely having the capability will make it uneasy. This is unfair, but it's the reality of international politics.

For China, our task is to avoid the sharp edges of U.S. suppression, unite all possible forces, engage in strategic Tai Chi with the U.S., and continuously expand the gaps in its attempt to dominate, thereby creating vast space for China's comprehensive development and modernization. We need to figure out how to deal with the U.S., dismantle its allies' loyalty, rather than simply hating the U.S. and its allies. In international relations, hatred doesn't solve problems; it only increases the impulsiveness of external games, leading to missteps.

In its foreign relations, the Chinese government maintains necessary strategic calm. Thus, we see that while the U.S. views several countries as adversaries—China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, etc.—its wariness towards China is the greatest, ranking us as the top concern. However, to date, Sino-U.S. relations are relatively the most moderate and flexible among these countries.

Therefore, Chinese citizens need to understand this overall situation and recognize the complex and subtle differences between national conflicts and civilian exchanges. Once geopolitical situations are formed, tense national relations will have a certain inertia, but these issues should primarily be addressed at the state diplomacy level. While supporting the state and fully authorizing diplomacy, the public should maintain a stable attitude, avoiding being easily ignited by diplomatic conflicts and not elevating patriotism to hatred. This way, China’s diplomatic maneuverability will increase, making it easier to ease external conflicts.

Most people understand that as a developing country, China needs to remain open and maintain close ties with developed countries. Some online rhetoric claiming China can fully rely on internal circulation for self-sustained development is either a show of defiance or self-comfort. China should strive to stabilize relations with the entire West, and we have many conditions and initiatives to do so. Objectively speaking, most Chinese people do not wish for us to lose friends and partners among developed countries and form alliances with other countries to oppose the West. This is neither our national diplomatic route nor the public’s wish.

However, some extreme voices online, collaborating to create a certain public opinion momentum, have misguided some grassroots people. They are not traditional "hawks" but possess ideological extremism, projecting attitudes onto internal affairs. If every situation has its pros and cons, the continuous fermentation of such voices online is definitely more harmful than beneficial for China at this stage in solving some major issues. Those making such statements may not have subjective malice; they may simply hold such views. However, the growing negative impact of these voices is real, and our mainstream society must remain clearly aware of this issue.