China Takes a Potshot at US Campus Protests
There is an inherent irony in Beijing’s position, but it is winning the narrative in the Global South.
China has criticized the US’s handling of campus protests.
Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
China hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to the chaotic scenes at American universities, after some colleges called in local police to quell pro-Palestinian protests. It has taken the opportunity to point at what it sees as the US’s double standards regarding the right to dissent.
In state media editorials and videos detailing the demonstrations, Beijing’s line is clear — American students should be allowed to protest.
Even Hua Chunying, the chief spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has weighed in. On X, formerly known as Twitter — which is blocked in mainland China — she asked: “Remember how US officials reacted when these protests happened elsewhere?”