A Fatal Incident Sparks International Outcry as Nationalism Moves from the Digital World to the Real One.
A 10-year-old Japanese lad was heading towards the gates of his school in Shenzhen, southern China, on a normal Tuesday morning in September when a stranger approached him and stabbed him. The lad sadly passed from his wounds, leaving China and Japan in shock at the horrific incident.
Apart from shocking the people in both countries, the killing set off a diplomatic crisis. With Japan’s foreign minister pointing out “malicious and anti-Japanese social media posts” as contributing elements to the mounting antagonism, the Japanese government proposed that xenophobia might have driven the crime.
Nonetheless, this episode could be a sign of a more general and alarming trend since researchers contend that growing online nationalism in China is starting to leak into the real world and generating domestic and international conflicts.
Was the Incident Tied to a Politically Sensitive Date and Digital Nationalism?
September 18, a day of great historical significance in China, was the stabbing date. Japan staged the Mukden Incident that day in 1931, which occupied Manchuria. For many Chinese, especially nationalists who believe Japan has never truly atoned for its wartime crimes, this event still causes great anguish.
For years, nationalist views about World War II have bloomed on the Chinese internet. Driven by historical grievance, many Chinese netizens question Japan’s alleged lack of apologies using these internet forums. Driven by patriotic language, the tension transcends Japan. It includes attacks on Chinese people judged “unpatriotic,” therefore producing a digital terrain filled with xenophobia and hatred.
Referring to a group of online nationalists who deliberately encourage patriotic fervor on social media, one author and university lecturer highlights the phenomena in a recent essay, writing, “In the past, people summoned the Red Guards; now people summon the ‘little pinks.'”
Is Violence Against Foreigners Escalating Due to Cyber-Nationalism?
While many Chinese social media users lamented the loss of the Japanese land, other cyber-nationalists took a provocative attitude. “I have no opinion on how Japanese die if they do not apologize for history,” one Weibo user said. Another voiced contempt, saying, “The Japanese slaughtered countless Chinese during World War II and haven’t apologized to this day. How could they even fit into a civilized description?
Involved in the controversy, a Chinese official was allegedly spotted in a private chat group declaring it is “not a big deal to kill a Japanese child” and even implying it was within the rules. After public outrage, the official is currently under inquiry.
Beijing has tried to downplay the occurrence by labeling it “isolated,” yet this attack is not an exception. A Chinese woman died trying to defend a Japanese mother and her son against an attack at a bus stop outside of a Japanese school in June. Four American university teachers were stabbed in a Jilin park just a few weeks ago. Though motives in these cases are yet unknown, they spurred discussions on the connection between xenophobic internet speech and actual violence.
A well-known liberal philosopher said following these events, “Dangerous populist tendencies deserve our utmost vigilance.”
Why Are Chinese Figures and Companies Facing Nationalist Attacks?
Although foreigners have suffered most from this growing nationalism, the resentment of cyber-nationalists has also turned within. In recent months, Chinese public personalities and businesses have come under charges of lacking enough patriotism.
One well-known instance is the beloved Chinese brand Nongfu Spring, a beverage behemoth. Nationalist online users claimed in March that the corporation used Japanese components in its product design. They said that one of its emblems looked like a Shinto temple, and the red tips of the water bottles matched the Japanese flag. Online reaction was quick and strong; some netizens even uploaded videos of themselves violently ruining Nongfu Spring goods.
The passion also went towards revered poet and Nobel Literature Prize recipient Mo Yan. Allegedly “beautifying” Japanese soldiers in his paintings, a nationalist blogger sued him for disparaging China and claimed he was. The lawsuit was finally dropped, but the chilling impact of such charges has been well observed.
Concerned about the rising antagonism towards creatives like Mo Yan, a former editor of a state-run publication, cautioned that “nationalistic attacks on individuals could have a chilling effect on artistic expression and creative freedom.”
Is Patriotism Being Used for Profit?
Although the Chinese government has traditionally supported patriotism, even state-run media have lately expressed worries about how some people utilize it for personal benefit. An official analysis called people who “stir up public opinion and add fuel to the flames in order to gain traffic and make personal gains” unworthy of the national banner they profess to wield.
Notwithstanding these objections, many feel the Chinese government helped this nationalism to flourish. “State-endorsed patriotism and Beijing’s continuous warnings about foreign influence have helped to fuel the strong nationalism we see today,” says a communication specialist. Laws criminalizing the “distortion and smearing of heroes and martyrs,” she contends, have exacerbated this environment as well as the more general legal concerns connected with being labeled unpatriotic.
Rising nationalist influencers are a reflection of these conflicts. Millions of followers of popular bloggers have built careers by praising China’s qualities and criticizing outside countries. Though they speak revolutionary vocabulary, some analysts contend that their actions more closely reflect far-right movements elsewhere. An expert notes, “They are populists who harbor hopes of returning society to some imagined former glory and see elites and foreign powers as roadblocks to this goal.”
Is Nationalism a Response to Social and Economic Woes?
Many scholars believe that the burgeoning nationalism reflects more underlying societal concerns. Many people in China find their faltering economy, growing inflation, property crisis, and high young unemployment frustrating. The strong emotional attraction to nationalism offers a handy structure for organizing these fears.
“Nationalism is a very strong framework for venting frustrations,” notes a political analyst. “Many people in China are confronted with severe social and economic worries; nationalist rhetoric lets them find release.”
A communication researcher also notes that the Chinese government could find this online nationalism a handy weapon. She says, “It acts as a safety valve to dissipate dissent in a way that does not undermine the state’s authority, particularly during economic troubles,.” Usually, more often than not, the government lets nationalist voices blossom; occasionally, it intervenes to stifle them when their activities get out of control.
Can the Government Manage the Costs of Nationalism?
The authorities have handled online nationalists in a conflicting manner. While nationalist bloggers are given wider license to voice provocative opinions, dissenters are sometimes swiftly silenced. Several well-known nationalists, including Sima Nan and Guyanmuchan, have had their accounts suspended recently. However, state media frequently republicize their material, increasing their exposure even as platforms try to reduce their impact.
From the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019 and the 2022 White Paper demonstrations against the zero-Covid policy, the Chinese government has a record of effectively handling challenges to its power. Given its possible dangers, Beijing probably finds confidence in its capacity to control nationalism based on this past.
An informed observer notes, “Nationalism is a mixed blessing for China’s leaders, and at the moment we are witnessing the costs of that.”
Still, the issue is: Will the Chinese government change its dependence on nationalism as a uniting factor? The practitioner says, “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
Given increasing nationalist feelings, the government’s approach of supporting and sometimes controlling cyber-nationalism looks destined to continue—at least for the foreseeable future.
