On February 24, shortly after news broke out that Russia had invaded Ukraine, the Chinese embassy issued a notice to Chinese citizens in Ukraine to place a clearly visible Chinese flag on their car if they planned to travel by car.
The idea that Chinese citizens in Ukraine should clearly identify themselves as Chinese as a safety precaution was further propagated by the Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily (in image below).
On February 25，however, the Chinese embassy seemingly changed its tune, as they posted on WeChat reminding Chinese citizens in Ukraine to be careful to reveal their identity. A hashtag page dedicated to the topic received over 820 million views on Weibo on Saturday (#在乌中国公民不要随意亮明身份#).
The sudden switch caused unrest and confusion on Weibo, where many wondered why the embassy initially seemed to suggest that the Chinese flag would offer a certain sense of security and why this apparently has changed.
“For the sake of your own conscience, for the sake of our compatriots in Ukraine, please mind what you say.”
Chinese state media outlets Global Times and People’s Daily published an interview with Chinese students living in Ukraine on Saturday. The article suggests that Chinese students in Kyev are affected by rising anti-Chinese sentiments among Ukrainians who believe that China supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The article claims that various Ukrainian media outlets and social media channels are spreading “fake news” about China backing Russia, leading to an increase in threats and insults directed at local Chinese citizens. One female Chinese student studying in Kyiv also shared a video of the local situation on Friday for state media outlet CGTN, saying she was also threatened (#中国在乌留学生遭恐吓跟踪#).
On February 26th, the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine issued another message urging Chinese citizens to maintain friendly relations with the Ukrainian people and to avoid disputes over “specific issues.” Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy is reportedly putting an evacuation plan into action for Chinese citizens in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine.
The hashtag “Chinese Students Claim Some Ukrainian Media Are Spreading Fake News” (#中国留学生称部分乌媒正散布假消息#) had nearly 200 million views on Weibo on Saturday, with thousands of people commenting on the issue.
Most people express worry about the situation of the Chinese students and other Chinese citizens who are still in Ukraine. Some say that regardless of whether the news in Ukraine about China is false or not, nobody wants to be in a war and it is not right for common people to have to take the blame.
There are also people condemning Ukrainians, saying “China is neutral on the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and that this is just used as another excuse to discriminate against Chinese, claiming that Ukraine “has always been anti-Chinese” and “also supports Hong Kong independence.”
On Friday’s United Nations Security Council resolution, which condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called on Moscow to withdraw its troops, eleven member countries voted in favor of the resolution while China, together with India and the United Arab Emirates, abstained.
Many on social media stressed China’s neutrality and the image below was also shared on Weibo, writing: “Chinese ≠ Putin’s ally.”
Others point out that it is perhaps no surprise for Ukrainians to get angry when in fact many Chinese people on social media express that they actually do support the Russian invasion. There are also commenters who emphasize that Chinese netizens should be more careful when expressing their thoughts on the situation since their stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine could influence the safety of those Chinese who are still there.
One popular blogging account wrote:
“When society is in disorder, people go crazy. When facing a national disaster, the slightest whiff of trouble can trigger an explosion. No one wants to experience war, and no one wants their suffering to be ridiculed. Ukraine has already given guns to civilians, and at a moment that’s about life and death, it’s hard to say if people might go too far. They can’t come to China but they can target overseas Chinese in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have to solve their conflict themselves, we don’t get mixed up in this. For the sake of your own conscience, for the sake of our compatriots in Ukraine, please mind what you say.”
On Saturday, one Chinese student studying in Kyiv shared videos from inside a bomb shelter, showing another perspective; the Chinese student could be seen interacting with Ukrainian children and cheering them up (hashtags #中国留学生镜头下的乌克兰防空洞# and #留学生镜头里的乌克兰#). The videos, shared online by various state media outlets, did not show tensions between Chinese and Ukrainian but people offering each other a sense of comfort at a time of crisis.
“The people are innocent,” a typical comment said: “But they are the ones who end up being hurt the most.”
By Manya Koetse
Featured image: https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404741232139305405
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