Hu Xijin

Hu Xijin (simplified Chinese: 胡锡进; traditional Chinese: 胡錫進; pinyin: Hú Xījìn; born 1960) is a Chinese journalist and editor of the Global Times, a state-owned tabloid in the People's Republic of China.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Hu.
Hu Xijin
胡锡进
Global Times Editor
Assumed office
2005
Personal details
Born (1960-04-08) April 8, 1960
Beijing, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materBeijing Foreign Studies University
OccupationEditor, Journalist

Early life and education

Hu was born in Beijing.[1] 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, and he calls the military action a tragedy caused by student naivety and government inexperience.[2][3]

He can speak Chinese, English and Russian.[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.[2]

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.[1][5] During Hu's time as editor of the Global Times, he has become known as a bellicose hard-liner.[6] “Frisbee Hu,” a nickname for Hu Xijin, arose from a joke that he retrieves whatever the government throws at him.[7]

He has been accused of being a propagandist.[8][3]

In response to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, he compared the protesters to "ISIS-like terrorists".[9]

Accusations of "astroturfing"

According to Richard Burger, a former editor at the Global Times, in the wake of the arrest of Ai Weiwei, the Chinese staff of the Global Times were ordered[10] by Hu to conduct an "astroturfing" campaign against Ai Weiwei in favour of the Chinese government's criticism of Ai as a "maverick".[11]

Commentary surrounding 2019–20 Hong Kong protests

During the 2019 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.[12] 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.[13]

Urging China to increase nuclear weapons

On 9 May 2020, Hu Xijin published an article to urge China to increase nuclear weapons. In this article, Hu said that” China should increase its nuclear warheads to 1,000 in a relatively short time span, and to procure at least 100 DF-41 strategic missiles.” “Today, the US government has identified China as its largest strategic competitor, and Washington is more likely to exert all its power at its disposal to suppress and intimidate China. If the US government deems necessary, it is highly likely that it could even take similar risks that led to the Cuban missile crisis. ” “China needs to possess the real power to prevent the US politicians from gambling with its nuclear armament and harming China. ”[14]

References
  1. "Chinese representative of the Third China-Germany Media Forum: Hu Xijin". Global Times. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  2. "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.
  3. 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.
  4. Global Times Russia (2019-08-22). "Владимир Путин сказал, что "восьмёрки" давно не существует. "Как же я могу возвратиться в организацию, которой не существует? "pic.twitter.com/cDblteG3B3". Twitter (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  5. Huang, C. (2016). Conservative popular journalism, public diplomacy, and the search for an alternative Chinese modernity: Revisiting the global times. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-4398-4.
  6. Garnaut, John (18 December 2010). "A cocktail of conspiracies delivered daily". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  7. Henochowicz, Anne (6 February 2014). "Eluding the "Ministry of Truth"". Nieman Reports. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  8. 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.
  9. "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.
  10. 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. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  11. Apple Daily. "Foreign Media Insider Exposes Global Times's Smearing Of Ai Weiwei". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  12. 《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). Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  13. Pang, Jessie; Cadell, Cate (November 28, 2019). "China warns U.S. over Hong Kong law as thousands stage 'Thanksgiving' rally". Reuters. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  14. Hu, Xijin (9 May 2020). "To safeguard national security, it is time for China to build up nuclear deterrent". Global Times. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
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