China’s leading internet companies, including Tencent and NetEase, have pledged to combat online hate speech and “extreme nationalism” following a fatal stabbing incident in Suzhou that has heightened anti-Japanese sentiments.
In response to a tragic stabbing incident in Suzhou, eastern China, where a Chinese woman was killed while defending a Japanese mother and her child, major Chinese tech firms have vowed to take stronger measures against online hate speech. The firms, including Tencent and NetEase, announced over the weekend that they would investigate and ban users who incite hatred, particularly against Japan.
The incident that prompted the crackdown occurred last week when an unemployed Chinese man, surnamed Zhou, attacked a Japanese mother and her child at a bus stop outside a Japanese school. A Chinese woman, Hu Youping, intervened in the attack and succumbed to her injuries. Hu’s actions were widely praised online for their heroism, and tributes flooded in from across China. The Japanese embassy in China even flew its flag at half-mast in her honor.
However, the event also sparked a surge in extreme nationalist sentiments online, with some users celebrating the attack in the name of patriotism. This led to a wave of xenophobic comments and hate speech directed towards Japan on various social media platforms.
Tencent, the owner of the popular messaging app WeChat, and NetEase, a major internet technology company, have both issued statements condemning the incitement of nationalism and hatred. Tencent noted that the Suzhou incident had drawn significant public attention and that some netizens had tried to provoke conflict between China and Japan.
Tencent reported that it had addressed 836 posts that violated its community guidelines, while NetEase had removed 759 pieces of illegal content. Both platforms also confirmed they had blocked several accounts that were found to be spreading hate speech.
Weibo, a major microblogging site similar to Twitter, also took action against extremist remarks. The platform, which boasts 588 million monthly active users, stated that it had removed numerous posts that incited nationalist sentiments and promoted group hatred. Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, said it would investigate “extreme xenophobia” appearing on some accounts, particularly content targeting Japanese schools in China.
Nationalistic and anti-Japanese sentiment has been a recurring issue on China’s tightly regulated internet, often allowed to persist as long as it does not conflict with government narratives. However, this latest incident has drawn a direct link between online xenophobia and real-world violence, prompting tech companies to take more decisive action.
Videos and posts mocking Japanese culture and institutions have previously been popular online, and incidents like the Suzhou attack have amplified concerns about the potential real-life impact of such content. A user on Weibo, cited by the US-based news site China Digital Times, remarked, “Random attacks happen randomly, but xenophobic social media videos that incite hatred against everyday people and businesses should be brought under control.”
Despite the crackdown, some users criticized the platforms’ efforts, with a NetEase commenter accusing the company of being “an enemy of the Chinese” for its stance against anti-Japanese content.
The Chinese authorities have described the Suzhou knife attack as an isolated incident, similar to a recent stabbing of four U.S. educators in Jilin province. Nevertheless, the event has prompted a broader conversation about the impact of online hate speech and the responsibilities of internet companies in moderating content that could incite violence and nationalism.
