Hu Xijin

Chinese journalist (born 1960)
胡锡进
Hu in 2021
Editor-in-chief and CCP committee secretary of Global TimesIn office
2005–2021Editor-in-chiefHimselfPreceded byTitle establishedSucceeded byFan Zhengwei (Party Secretary)
Wu Yimin (Editor-in-chief) Personal detailsBorn (1960-04-08) April 8, 1960 (age 64)
Beijing, ChinaPolitical partyChinese Communist PartyChildren1Alma mater
OccupationEditor, Journalist
Hu Xijin's voice in Chinese
Hu criticizes Western media at 2021 World Internet Conference
Chinese nameSimplified Chinese胡锡进Traditional Chinese胡錫進
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHú Xījìn
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Hu Xijin (Chinese: 胡锡进; born 7 April 1960) is a Chinese journalist who previously served as editor-in-chief and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Global Times from 2005 to 2021.

Hu is one of the most popular opinion leaders in China.[1] Hu's writing is often nationalistic and provocative.[2]: 302  According to academic Lin Mao, Hu genuinely regards himself as a professional journalist whose mission is to shape public opinion to make China stronger.[2]: 307  Hu has been accused by the western media of being a political propagandist[3][4][5][6] and an early adopter of China's "wolf warrior" communication strategy of loudly denouncing perceived criticism of the Chinese government and its policies.[7] “Frisbee Hu” (胡叼盘), a nickname for Hu Xijin, arose from a joke that he retrieves whatever the government throws at him.[8][9]The Guardian described Hu as "China’s troll king".[10]

Early life and education

Hu was born in Beijing to a poor Christian family.[11]

From 1978 to 1982, Hu attended the People's Liberation Army College of International Relations in Nanjing, Jiangsu for undergraduate studies. After graduating with a master's degree in Russian literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University in 1989, Hu began his career as a journalist at the People's Daily. Hu took part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests but later in 2019 called the military action a tragedy caused by student naivety and government inexperience.[12][4]

Career

Working as a foreign correspondent for the paper, he covered both the Bosnian War and the Iraq War. After covering Yugoslavia's break-up as a war correspondent, he came to admire strong Communist rule.[12]

Hu became editor of the Global Times in 2005, editing both the Chinese-language version and, after its establishment in 2009, the English-language version.[13] Hu described the Global Times as having two bosses, the government and the market.[2]: 306  According to Hu, "In the long run the two are equally important ... if we lose the support of ordinary people and lose our influence, the government won't care about us anymore. Without ordinary people, our paper will die."[2]: 306 

Hu's 2013 book On the Complexity of China collects some of his editorials written for the Global Times.[2]: 307  Hu structures the book in order to explain his view of Global Times' editorial philosophy.[2]: 307  Also in the book, Hu writes that liberals also need to crossing the river by touching the stones. He thought liberals are a necessary force to balance conservatives, and any society needs to achieve a balance between freedom and governance. So he hoped that liberals can show more constructive aspects of this balance.[14] As part of his view of a "complicated China," Hu writes that while China's achievements should not be dismissed, its development is still uneven.[2]: 308  Hu states that the media should therefore adopt a more balanced perspective that is neither rightist, nor leftist, but pragmatic.[2]: 308 

According to Richard Burger, a former editor at the Global Times, in the wake of the 2011 arrest of Ai Weiwei, the Chinese staff of the Global Times were ordered[15] by Hu to conduct an "astroturfing" campaign against Ai Weiwei in favor of the Chinese government's criticism of Ai as a "maverick".[16]

Hu denounced Canada's 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou and stated, "I want to tell America that while you cannot beat Huawei in the market, do not use despicable means and play dirty."[2]: 320 

Hu had a leading role in framing Chinese public discourse and perceptions on the U.S.-China Trade War.[2]: 302  He compared Liu He's trip to Washington D.C. for negotiations to the Hongmen Banquet.[2]: 323–324 

On 9 May 2020, Hu published an opinion piece urging the Chinese government to build more nuclear weapons, including 100 DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles.[17]

Amid the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes, Indian news site ThePrint called Hu Xijin "the Arnab Goswami of China" and said that both of them are also "mirror opposites" because "neither acknowledges the truth on the ground because it doesn’t suit their journalism".[18]

Hu stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Global Times in December 2021.[19][20] His departure, reportedly due to Beijing "strengthening the paper’s political guidance", was (according to The Diplomat) connected to efforts of toning down overly confrontational wolf warrior rhetoric, following a deterioration of China's international reputation and CCP general secretary Xi Jinping calling for improvements in the country's international communication at a May 2021 CCP Politburo session.[7] Following his career with the Global Times, Hu remains an active political commentator on Sina Weibo and has occasionally been censored.[21] As of 2024, his Weibo account has 24.82 million followers.[2]: 302 

In response to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, Hu stated that the protests show that "Jewish political and business alliance's control over American public opinion has declined."[22]

Commentary on 2019–20 Hong Kong protests

During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, Hu urged for direct shooting towards the protesters. He also advocated that the police should be waived from any responsibilities even if the protesters were fatally shot.[23] Hu warned that China would bar drafters of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, whose U.S. Senate sponsor is Florida Republican Marco Rubio, from entering mainland China as well as Hong Kong and Macau after U.S. President Trump signed it into law in November 2019.[24] Hu compared the protesters to "ISIS-like terrorists",[25] and accused the U.S. of instigating the protests.[26]

Taiwan

Hu has supported an increase in hostility with Taiwan. In 2016, the Global Times under Hu's leadership was reprimanded by the government for discussing the potential use of military force to take Taiwan.[2]: 307  In 2020 he suggested that Chinese fighter jets should enter into Taiwan's claimed airspace and if shot down, consider it to be a declaration of war.[27] In October 2021, he said, "The people of Taiwan will not follow the DPP and 'fight to the end.'"[28]

In December 2021, Hu described Wang Leehom as "American Taiwanese", rather than Chinese, making a distinction between Taiwanese and Chinese.[29]

In July 2022, Hu warned of military retaliation if Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, stating "I've conveyed the message: if the U.S. military sends fighter jets to escort Pelosi to Taiwan, then the move would take the vile nature of such a visit to another level, and would constitute aggression. Our fighter jets should deploy all obstructive tactics. If those are still ineffective, I think it is okay too to shoot down Pelosi's plane."[30]

Personal life

In October 2020, Apple Daily reported that Hu's son had emigrated to Canada, and that he was mocked for it by fellow news reporters; Hu denied that any of his children live abroad.[31] Additionally, it was reported that Hu made a salary of 570,000 yuan per year at his job at the Global Times, and an additional 12 million yuan per year on digital platforms such as TikTok and Toutiao.[31] Finally, it was also reported that Hu owns a luxury apartment worth 25 million yuan.[31]

In December 2020, South China Morning Post and Apple Daily reported that a former deputy editor at the Global Times submitted a complaint with the CCP's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, alleging that Hu fathered two children with former colleagues. Hu denied the allegation and labeled it a blackmail attempt.[32][33]

References

  1. ^ Pang, Laikwan (2024). One and All: The Logic of Chinese Sovereignty. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-5036-3881-5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mao, Lin (2024). "From Trade War to New Cold War: Popular Nationalism and the Global Times on Weibo under Xi Jinping". In Fang, Qiang; Li, Xiaobing (eds.). China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment. Leiden University Press. ISBN 9789087284411.
  3. ^ Teixeira, Lauren. "Beijing's Propaganda Is Playing the Trade War Safe". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  4. ^ a b Jiang, Steven (August 16, 2019). "The man taking on Hong Kong from deep inside China's propaganda machine". CNN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  5. ^ Hernández, Javier C. (2019-07-31). "When Trump Tweets, the Editor of 'China's Fox News' Hits Back". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  6. ^ Hong, Brendon (2020-06-12). "This Tiananmen Protester Is Now Beijing's Troll-in-Chief". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  7. ^ a b Powers-Riggs, Aidan; Jaramillo, Eduardo (2022-01-22). "Is China Putting 'Wolf Warriors' on a Leash?". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  8. ^ Henochowicz, Anne (6 February 2014). "Eluding the "Ministry of Truth"". Nieman Reports. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  9. ^ Alex, Colville (October 12, 2020). "Hu Xijin, China's greatest internet troll". SupChina. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Han Zhang (2021-12-14). "China's troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  11. ^ Zhang, Han (2021-12-14). "China's troll king: how a tabloid editor became the voice of Chinese nationalism". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  12. ^ a b "China's Global Times plays a peculiar role". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  13. ^ HUANG, CHENGJU (2016). "Conservative Popular Journalism, Public Diplomacy and the Search for an Alternative Chinese Modernity: Revisiting the Global Times". In Gao, Jia; Ingram, Catherine; Kee, Pookong (eds.). Global Media and Public Diplomacy in Sino-Western Relations. doi:10.4324/9781315584904. ISBN 9781315584904. Archived from the original on 2022-11-13. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  14. ^ "胡锡进对谈萧功秦：中国媒体该走什么道路". Guancha (in Chinese (China)). 2013-11-28. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  15. ^ "zh:外籍傳媒人踢爆 總編命搜尋評論按中共路線批駁 《環球時報》抹黑艾未未內幕" [Foreign media insider exposes Global Times' managing editor's smearing of Ai Weiwei]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). Hong Kong. April 16, 2011. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  16. ^ "Foreign Media Insider Exposes Global Times's Smearing Of Ai Weiwei". YouTube. Apple Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  17. ^ Tian, Yew Lun (2020-05-08). "China needs more nuclear warheads: Global Times editor". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  18. ^ Malhotra, Jyoti (2020-06-09). "Chinese media is the superspreader of disinformation: From Covid to Ladakh". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  19. ^ "Outspoken editor of Chinese state tabloid Global Times retires". The Guardian. 2021-12-16. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  20. ^ Mozur, Paul; Liu, John (2021-12-16). "Hu Xijin, Head of 'China's Fox News,' Says He'll Retire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  21. ^ "Wang Fang's performance in Ukraine highlights divisions in China". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15. The war in Ukraine is "not China's war", said Mr Hu, who is a former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a nationalist tabloid in Beijing. For good measure, censors deleted Mr Hu's post too.
  22. ^ Ma, Wenhao (2024-04-30). "China's state media support protests on US campuses but not at home". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  23. ^ 《環時》總編冷血諫言：港警應獲授權射實彈 擊斃示威者不用負責｜蘋果新聞網｜蘋果日報. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  24. ^ Pang, Jessie; Cadell, Cate (November 28, 2019). "China warns U.S. over Hong Kong law as thousands stage 'Thanksgiving' rally". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  25. ^ "Here's what China is telling its people about Hong Kong protests - BNN Bloomberg". 2019-11-13. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  26. ^ Jiang, Steven (16 August 2019). "The man taking on Hong Kong from deep inside China's propaganda machine". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  27. ^ "China says 'fighter jets of the PLA must fly over the island of Taiwan'". Taiwan News. 28 October 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Chinese Journalist Hu Xijin: Although Taiwan Tensions Are At All-Time High, War Is Not Inevitable – Taiwan's Authorities Will Eventually Back Down; China Is Defending Its Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity". MEMRI. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  29. ^ "Wang Leehom's divorce spat unites netizens from mainland China and Taiwan". South China Morning Post. 2021-12-19. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  30. ^ "Chinese nationalist commentator deletes Pelosi tweet after Twitter blocks account". Reuters. 2022-07-30. Archived from the original on 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  31. ^ a b c "Editor of Beijing's mouthpiece denies moving family to Canada". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  32. ^ Zheng, William (December 3, 2020). "Editor of nationalistic Chinese newspaper says he was a target of blackmail and rumours by deputy". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  33. ^ "Global Times chief editor denies fathering 2 sons with colleagues". Apple Daily. December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021.

External links

  • Hu Xijin on Weibo (in Chinese)
  • Hu Xijin's channel on YouTube
Party political offices
New title Communist Party Secretary of Global Times
2005–2021 		Succeeded by
Media offices
New title Editor-in-chief of Global Times
2005–2021 		Succeeded by
Wu Qimin (吴绮敏)