- The New York Times reported that China is erasing negative economic reporting about the country.
- According to the NYT, China’s Ministry of State Security warned the public not to be swayed by “false narratives” about the economy.
- The Chinese government is facing a downturn in its real estate sector, deflation and a global exodus of investors.
Reports in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal this week detail efforts by Chinese authorities to dispel negative views about the state of China’s economy on the internet.
According to the NYT, the Ministry of State Security said on its official WeChat account that the public should not believe “false narratives” about China’s trajectory and instead believe in President Xi Jinping’s vision.
The report said the Chinese government has moved to censor social media and news articles by financial experts and economists who share pessimistic views. WSJ similarly reported that some Chinese government officials reiterated the importance of promoting “a positive outlook for China’s economy.”
Meanwhile, officials continue to uphold a positive outlook for growth this year, despite the economy facing weak headwinds including a struggling real estate sector, a stock market crash, deflation and youth unemployment.
The latest censorship points to Chinese government policymakers’ concerns about national security and external perception, and raises questions about how a threat is defined.
In one example cited by the Journal, an article by a Beijing-based news outlet that called for more direct state intervention to address economic challenges was removed from its website within hours of publication.
In another example, economist Li Hunlei, who works for state-owned China-Taiwan Securities, published a column about the hardships of low-income households. This also disappeared shortly after it was published, and people who tried to access it using Li’s WeChat account were shown a message saying, “The content cannot be viewed because it violates regulations.”
The NYT said technology platform Weibo had restricted posts from dozens of accounts for sharing bleak economic realities with other users. The platform also warned users in November against becoming “maliciously pessimistic” about China’s economy, the report said.
The Chinese government’s obstacles go beyond media chatter. Experts have told Business Insider in recent weeks that the “ultra bearish” narrative on China is here to stay, making it unlikely that authorities will orchestrate a pushback in the short term.