(TibetanReview.net, Jul29’26) – The Chinese government has found itself in the unusual, somewhat embarrassing position of having to defend its steps towards normalising relations with India when taunted by ultranationalist Chinese social media users glued to its state media’s past propaganda rhetoric against that country, according to a timesofindia.com report Jul 26.
China’s Embassy in New Delhi has done something almost unheard of—it publicly defended India against a wave of anti-India rhetoric from Chinese social media users, the report said.
The controversy was stated to have begun after China’s ambassador Xu Feihong expanded visa issuance for Indian travellers as part of Beijing’s effort to improve bilateral ties. Instead of praise, he faced online abuse, with nationalist influencers accusing him of betraying China’s interests.
The report said the backlash became so intense that Chinese state-linked media and the embassy itself stepped in, urging citizens to reject xenophobia and misleading narratives about India, precisely what the Chinese state media has been promoting all these years, obviously with great success.
The report said the episode revealed an unusual gap between Beijing’s diplomatic objectives and the mood of parts of its online public.
As China attempts to stabilise ties with India after years of border tensions, the report examined why the embassy intervened, what it says about Chinese nationalism, and why New Delhi should pay close attention to this extraordinary diplomatic moment.