The people of Beijing says Chinese patriots didn't do enough to oppose Pelosi

Updated on August 05, 2022 16:50 PM by Anthony Christian

Nancy Pelosi's US Air Force plane

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's US Air Force plane approached Taiwan on Tuesday night, raising hopes for an appropriate response from Beijing. Since allegations surfaced that a major US senator would visit Taiwan during an Asia tour, China's nationalist fervour and talk about what the leadership could do about it have been ratcheted up significantly.

Beijing warned Washington

Beijing had previously warned Washington that those who "play with fire" over Taiwan would "perish," and warned the US against crossing a "red line," saying the Chinese military would "not sit idly by" if Pelosi visited the self-governing island, which China's Communist Party claims as its territory, despite never having controlled it.

US-Taiwan friendship forever

Former Global Times Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin had been more direct, stating China may take military action against Pelosi's plane, which raised public expectations of a conflict. It was instead the Songshan Airport in Taipei where Pelosi and her congressional delegation arrived to be received in a live stream by representatives of Taiwan's government while the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper flashed "US-Taiwan friendship forever" in brightly lit text and crowds of supporters and protesters waited outside Pelosi's hotel for her arrival.

Condemnations from Chinese government and military

There were numerous condemnations from Chinese government ministries and military officials, and a first for China when the country fired missiles over Taiwan on Thursday – the first time it has done so. Some Chinese viewers were disappointed by China's initial measures, which fell well short of what they had expected.

China's heavily restricted social media platforms

Disappointment was also widespread on China's heavily restricted social media platforms, where nationalistic voices predominate. "There is nowhere for me to put my head. This is utterly repugnant. People on the other side of the Great Firewall are in fits of hilarity. (China) is a 'paper tiger,' literally "On China's Weibo social media platform, commented one user. Others wondered why so much attention had been paid to a film with so little action.

"Unprecedented" and "powerful"

However, a reckoning and a resetting have begun to take place in China in the days that have followed. China's state media have mobilised in an effort to counteract public displeasure, describing its military drills as "unprecedented" and "powerful." Social media has been flooded with news of these exercises; some have praised China for what they see as a good, strategic reaction and denounced what they regarded as war-mongering in the public arena.

Global Times editor Hu

Former state-backed tabloid Global Times editor Hu has come under fire for his role in igniting recent nationalist sentiment. On WeChat, Ren Yi's "Chairman Rabbit" account said China's actions had matched the government's tone, but not the forecasts of the former Global Times editor, on Thursday.

Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

As stated in the essay, "the Chinese government has indeed prepared quite strong and prideful countermeasures, which have been highly successful in dealing with this issue of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Chinese government’s Countermeasures against Taiwan

Chinese netizens did not cheer when the Chinese government and official media solemnly announced on August 2 the military exercises and the series of countermeasures against Taiwan, nor felt the unprecedented high morale, great excitement from the people's hearts, or the boiling patriotic sentiment," the post said.

Geng Xiangshun

Even though Geng Xiangshun, a well-known internet pundit, stated the public's patriotism was "quite good," he said calls for war were misguided and avoided mentioning Hu. His Weibo post read: "The ultimate goal is to achieve reunification of the motherland at the cheapest possible cost, not to begin war."

Pelosi's visit, to the "patriotic camp"

"Heavy words," Hu argued in a Thursday blog post, contributed to the discussion surrounding Pelosi's visit, and the "patriotic camp" should have "different views." On Thursday, a social media user said that the decision makers were "intelligent" and "rational," reversing their earlier sentiments of displeasure.

"Now I get it"

Thousands of people liked a post with the caption, "Now I get it." It also shows the risks that President Xi Jinping has taken by fueling nationalistic feelings by appearing to alleviate disappointment and encourage China's reaction.

Chinese nationalism is on the rise

Chinese nationalism is on the rise under President Xi Jinping, in part because he uses it to further his own goals and agenda. However, Alfred Wu, an associate professor at NUS' Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, believes Xi has never considered the downside of this rise in nationalism.

Wu’s claim

Beijing appears to have reined in the narrative on this occasion, whereas Hu has become a nationalist scapegoat, Wu claims. China's nationalist, confrontational opinion leaders and diplomats are often referred to as "wolf warriors" by Wu, a typical moniker for Beijing's nationalist, combative leaders and diplomats.

China's Assistant Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

First, China's Assistant Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying offered an insightful response when asked about the early outcry to China's reaction on social media. According to Hua, "We have great faith in both our country and government's ability to steadfastly preserve our sovereignty and territorial integrity." A sensible patriot can be found in the Chinese people.