Chinese commentator Hu Xijin silent on social media after third plenum article vanishes

Firebrand former Global Times chief is absent from Weibo and WeChat after publishing now-deleted piece on China’s economic strategy

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Firebrand former newspaper editor Hu Xijin is typically a prolific poster on social media, but his accounts have been quiet since Saturday. Photo: Weibo

Published: 6:00pm, 1 Aug 2024Updated: 1:53am, 2 Aug 2024

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of state-owned newspaper Global Times, has been silent for days on social media since his article interpreting a Communist Party economic strategy document was deleted.

In an opinion piece published on his WeChat account on July 22, Hu noted that a resolution endorsed by top leaders during the party’s third plenum last month left out a phrase that had long enshrined the role of the state sector in China’s economy.

The outspoken former editor argued that the omission of the phrase “public ownership playing a dominant role” was a “historic change”.

Hu added that removing the phrase showed that China hoped to “achieve true equality between the private and the state-owned economy”.

“Chinese society’s understanding, attitude and narrative of various ownership relations will have a big step forward,” Hu wrote in the article.

This interpretation immediately triggered fierce criticism from China’s conservative bloggers, who accused Hu of “blatantly violating the political discipline of the party” because the “dominant role” of public ownership was enshrined in the constitutions of both the ruling party and the country.

Some critics even shared screenshots of their complaints to internet censors regarding Hu’s commentary.