Exclusive | Hasan Piker talks about his controversial China trip – and ‘thinking Chinese thoughts’
One of the most influential political commentators among young Americans, Piker claims Americans are ‘taught to hate China’, calling it ‘stupid’
Hasan Piker knew his first trip to China would provoke backlash. What he did not expect was how quickly the debate would collapse into a binary: propaganda or patriotism.
Clips of his visit circulated widely, some carried by Chinese state-linked outlets – in one viral video Piker was heard saying “I have no patriotism in my heart”, leading many Western commentators to accuse him of acting as soft power for Beijing.
China trip: personal observation or propaganda?
When asked directly what his core political motivation was for the trip and how that intention aligned with the way his visit was framed in Chinese state media, Piker rejected the premise that visibility equals endorsement.
“My motivation was to show that China isn’t this hermit kingdom the way it’s often presented,” he said in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post. “It’s actually developed tremendously. It’s yielded real prosperity for its citizens.”
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American streamer Hasan Piker says Chinese social contract outperforms the US’
Pressed on whether that framing dovetailed uncomfortably with Beijing’s preferred narrative, Piker acknowledged the risk but argued it was unavoidable.