chairman Xi Jinping have monitored a surge in Chinese Nationalism This is being done to boost the popularity of his government as tensions with rivals grow. Now, the murder of a Japanese boy is exposing the dangers of that strategy.
Chinese authorities declined to comment on the motive behind the attack on a 10-year-old boy who was stabbed to death this week near his Japanese school in Shenzhen. Police in the southern tech hub did not mention the victim’s nationality in an initial statement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday that he was “saddened” by the killing and described it as a “personal matter.” “China will continue to take effective measures to protect all foreign nationals,” he said.
Months earlier, authorities had also described the stabbing of a Japanese woman and child and the stabbing of four teachers at an American college as “isolated” incidents. The date of this week’s tragedy was notable: It occurred on the anniversary of the incident that triggered Japan’s invasion of China — now National Defense Education Day, when sirens sound in many cities across the country.
Ruling Communist Party In recent years it has legitimized its policies by promoting a strong China on the world stage, a strategy that has sparked growing hostility toward its allies, including the US and Japan. With growing unrest over China’s economic slowdown, the government is now grappling with online hate that is spilling over into real-life violence.
“The Chinese authorities have certainly normalized nationalism as the ‘correct’ way to understand the world,” said Florian Schneider, chair professor of modern China at Leiden University. “What citizens do with that understanding is not up to any individual leader — and it can sometimes backfire very badly.”
Chinese users on social media were critical. “Who tolerated the hate comments online?” one person asked under a post by the Japanese Embassy in China. “Hate education has had remarkable results,” another top-voted comment read.
While nationalism may have been a catalyst for the recent violence, Schneider warned that “its roots are likely much deeper, linked to broader social and economic concerns.”
China’s wealth collapse has wiped out about $18 trillion of wealth from households, according to calculations by Barclays Plc, and fueled pay cuts and layoffs as the country grapples with its longest period of deflation in decades. Earlier this year, Chinese social media users linked those economic pressures to a rise in violent attacks.
Incidents of public violence against foreigners undermine Beijing’s broader goal of attracting foreign business at a time of sluggish investment. Nearly half of Japanese firms recently surveyed in China said they would not spend more or would cut investment this year – citing rising wages, falling prices and geopolitical tensions.
“The current stabbing incident may be an additional concern on top of such issues,” said Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute. He said the latest incident comes at a time when bilateral relations have cooled somewhat.
Generations of Chinese citizens have grown up exposed to hostile propaganda towards Japan. Beijing claims Tokyo has not sufficiently apologised for atrocities committed in the war and is embroiled in territorial disputes over disputed islands. East China SeaThese tensions have deepened as Asia’s largest economies compete in a variety of commercial sectors, and as Tokyo strengthens military and trade ties with the United States.
Last year, Beijing fueled anti-Japan sentiment by condemning Tokyo’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant and banning all seafood from its neighbour, a decision that defied scientists’ assessment that the move was in line with global safety standards.
Highlighting the growing protests, a Chinese influencer recently posted a video of himself desecrating the war-torn Yasukuni shrine, which is linked to Japan’s history of military aggression. The act was criticised by some Chinese social media users as a display of extreme nationalism.
A viral WeChat article titled “I still feel sad for that Japanese boy” similarly questioned the growing anti-Japanese rhetoric that has become mainstream over the past decade.
“Voices supporting friendly exchanges between China and Japan have been gradually marginalized, or even wiped out, online,” the author wrote in a post that had been read more than 12,000 times and liked by more than 4,000 people as of Thursday afternoon.
The author wrote that such stories “will eventually spread offline and have a real-world impact.” The article was later censored “due to violations.”
Chinese authorities declined to comment on the motive behind the attack on a 10-year-old boy who was stabbed to death this week near his Japanese school in Shenzhen. Police in the southern tech hub did not mention the victim’s nationality in an initial statement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday that he was “saddened” by the killing and described it as a “personal matter.” “China will continue to take effective measures to protect all foreign nationals,” he said.
Months earlier, authorities had also described the stabbing of a Japanese woman and child and the stabbing of four teachers at an American college as “isolated” incidents. The date of this week’s tragedy was notable: It occurred on the anniversary of the incident that triggered Japan’s invasion of China — now National Defense Education Day, when sirens sound in many cities across the country.
Ruling Communist Party In recent years it has legitimized its policies by promoting a strong China on the world stage, a strategy that has sparked growing hostility toward its allies, including the US and Japan. With growing unrest over China’s economic slowdown, the government is now grappling with online hate that is spilling over into real-life violence.
“The Chinese authorities have certainly normalized nationalism as the ‘correct’ way to understand the world,” said Florian Schneider, chair professor of modern China at Leiden University. “What citizens do with that understanding is not up to any individual leader — and it can sometimes backfire very badly.”
Chinese users on social media were critical. “Who tolerated the hate comments online?” one person asked under a post by the Japanese Embassy in China. “Hate education has had remarkable results,” another top-voted comment read.
While nationalism may have been a catalyst for the recent violence, Schneider warned that “its roots are likely much deeper, linked to broader social and economic concerns.”
China’s wealth collapse has wiped out about $18 trillion of wealth from households, according to calculations by Barclays Plc, and fueled pay cuts and layoffs as the country grapples with its longest period of deflation in decades. Earlier this year, Chinese social media users linked those economic pressures to a rise in violent attacks.
Incidents of public violence against foreigners undermine Beijing’s broader goal of attracting foreign business at a time of sluggish investment. Nearly half of Japanese firms recently surveyed in China said they would not spend more or would cut investment this year – citing rising wages, falling prices and geopolitical tensions.
“The current stabbing incident may be an additional concern on top of such issues,” said Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute. He said the latest incident comes at a time when bilateral relations have cooled somewhat.
Generations of Chinese citizens have grown up exposed to hostile propaganda towards Japan. Beijing claims Tokyo has not sufficiently apologised for atrocities committed in the war and is embroiled in territorial disputes over disputed islands. East China SeaThese tensions have deepened as Asia’s largest economies compete in a variety of commercial sectors, and as Tokyo strengthens military and trade ties with the United States.
Last year, Beijing fueled anti-Japan sentiment by condemning Tokyo’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant and banning all seafood from its neighbour, a decision that defied scientists’ assessment that the move was in line with global safety standards.
Highlighting the growing protests, a Chinese influencer recently posted a video of himself desecrating the war-torn Yasukuni shrine, which is linked to Japan’s history of military aggression. The act was criticised by some Chinese social media users as a display of extreme nationalism.
A viral WeChat article titled “I still feel sad for that Japanese boy” similarly questioned the growing anti-Japanese rhetoric that has become mainstream over the past decade.
“Voices supporting friendly exchanges between China and Japan have been gradually marginalized, or even wiped out, online,” the author wrote in a post that had been read more than 12,000 times and liked by more than 4,000 people as of Thursday afternoon.
The author wrote that such stories “will eventually spread offline and have a real-world impact.” The article was later censored “due to violations.”
It’s a risk the country’s leaders understand.
Beijing has reined in its “wolf warrior” diplomats, and is trying to stabilize relations with the US through high-level diplomatic talks. After the stabbing death of a Japanese woman and child in June, Chinese officials gave a hero’s award to a bus attendant who sacrificed her life to help foreigners, and praised her efforts to help foreigners.
The challenge of changing public sentiment was exemplified this week when the World Table Tennis Federation was attacked by Chinese fans because it chose to sell tickets for an event in Fukuoka, a city in Japan, on the same date as the Chinese invasion of Tokyo. Eventually, the organisers gave in.
“The Communist Party has established nationalism as a form of legitimacy, but it’s like riding a bandwagon,” said Geoff Raby, Australia’s former ambassador to China. “It can’t always control it in its own interest.”
