Chinese social media is awash with criticisms of the US, but is it possible to go too far?

As the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues, Chinese social media is buzzing with condemnations of Washington, expressions of sympathy for Tehran and an outpouring of unsolicited strategic advice. The conflict, which began with the February 28 air strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dominated the list of trending topics on the country’s main platforms, such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. Social media is tightly controlled and most of the comments published have been heavily critical of the United States. These tend to echo Beijing’s official position by accusing Washington of violating Iranian sovereignty and adopting classic “hegemonic” behaviour, even if the tone is much more informal. In contrast to Beijing’s official statements, the dominant reactions online are characterised by sarcasm and mockery, with the US embassy’s official accounts being a particular target. While the official US accounts largely repost or translate official statements about the war, the reply sections are quickly flooded with angry comments about what the US military calls “precision” strikes. Typical comments run along the lines of “precise enough to hit a school?” – a reference to the strike on a girls’ school in Minab that killed an estimated 175 people, most of them children. Other common retorts include comments such as “the beacon of freedom and democracy has blinded us again” or appeals not to believe “the American empire’s lies”. A particularly common reaction is a simple, dismissive hehe – a Chinese internet expression akin to “lol” or “yeah, right”. Under embassy posts announcing US military successes or calling for de-escalation on their terms, strings of hehes flood in, sometimes dozens in a row. Users often pair it with eye-rolling emojis or follow-ups such as “hehe, keep performing” or “hehe, America wins again”. This minimalist response serves as a low-effort yet potent way to express disdain while reducing the chances of their posts disappearing. Some users have complained that comments posted on the embassy’s social media pages have been disappearing – prompting widespread accusations that diplomatic staff are deleting critical posts. The US embassy has insisted it does not filter or screen comments, citing its commitment to free speech and public debate. However, other users suspect that “external censorship” – in other words the Chinese government – is the reason some comments are not appearing in public. Beijing is carefully navigating a turbulent diplomatic situation by calling for an immediate ceasefire and voicing support for Iranian sovereignty without jeopardising its ties with Washington ahead of the now-delayed summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. “I suppose the Chinese government wants to strike the right balance: it aims to offer vocal support for Iran while, at this critical juncture [ahead of Trump’s visit], being unwilling to strain Sino-US relations. As a result, it will impose some controls on online discourse,” said an international relations professor in Beijing, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. A more sombre tone is seen in criticism of US “bullying” and “aggression”, apparently reflecting anger over civilian casualties. Posts about the bombing of the girls’ school, often accompanied by images of ruined buildings and grieving families, have gained around 50 million views on Chinese social media. Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy’s social media accounts have been flooded with messages of solidarity and offers to donate money. The embassy has thanked the “civilised and righteous Chinese people” for their support but has stressed it is not seeking financial support. A minority of posts criticise the Iranian government, highlighting its record on women’s rights and accusing it of repressing its population for decades – including the recent wave of anti-government protests and the bloody crackdown that ensued. Another stand-out phenomenon has been the thousands of “armchair generals” flooding official Iranian embassy accounts with unsolicited tips on how to fight the Americans. Some advised their “brothers in Iran” to follow the theories and strategies of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic, whose poorly equipped forces adopted guerrilla tactics against the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s that proved hugely influential in future insurgent campaigns. Others urged Iran to draw on the concept of unrestricted warfare by targeting social and civilian infrastructure to disrupt things such as the internet and power supply. Some of the more creative suggestions included loading missiles with things such as chilli powder or fibreglass, in the apparent belief this would do more to harm individuals or damage equipment than the munitions more commonly used in rockets. Other posts have taken a more pragmatic “China-first” view, looking at how the country might benefit from the situation. According to this way of thinking, the conflict is a major distraction for the US that may weaken its focus on other parts of the world – giving China a potential strategic advantage. Some internet users have argued that a prolonged US military engagement in the Middle East would drain American resources, political attention and military bandwidth away from hotspots in the Indo-Pacific, allowing Beijing greater freedom to advance its core interests without direct confrontation.

Chinese social media is awash with criticisms of the US, but is it possible to go too far?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Online responses range from sarcastic variants on Beijing’s official line to ‘armchair generals’ telling Tehran how best to fight America

Online responses range from sarcastic variants on Beijing’s official line to ‘armchair generals’ telling Tehran how best to fight America