REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
- The New York Times reported that China is erasing negative economic coverage of the country.
- China's Ministry of State Security, per NYT, cautioned citizens not to be swayed by "false narratives" of the economy.
- Beijing has been grappling with a struggling property sector, deflation, and an exodus of global investors.
Reports this week from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal detail efforts by Chinese authorities to scrub the internet of negative takes on the state of its economy.
According to the NYT, The Ministry of State Security said in its official WeChat account that citizens should not believe the "false narratives" about the trajectory of China, and instead should believe in President Xi Jinping's vision.
Beijing, the report said, has moved to censor social media and news articles from financial experts and economists who share a downbeat perspective. The WSJ similarly reported that some of the nation's top officials have reiterated the importance of promoting the "bright prospects of China's economy."
Meanwhile, officials continue to espouse an upbeat outlook for growth this year, even as the economy grapples with a cocktail of bearish headwinds including a troubled real estate sector, crashing stocks, deflation, and youth unemployment.
The latest round of censorship points to Beijing policymakers' concern over national security and outside perception, and raises questions as to how threats are defined.
In one example cited by The WSJ, an article from a Beijing-based outlet that called for more direct state intervention in addressing economic challenges was erased from the website within hours of publishing.
In another instance, economist Li Xunlei who works at state-owned Zhongtai Securities published a column about the tribulations of lower-income families. That, too, disappeared shortly after it was published, and on WeChat, a message appeared to those trying to access it on Li's account: "The content can't be viewed due to violation of regulations."
The NYT said tech platform Weibo had restricted dozens of accounts from posting after they had shared bleak economic realities with other users. The platform also warned its users in November, the report said, not to be "maliciously pessimistic" about China's economy.
Beijing's obstacles extend beyond media chatter. Experts have told Business Insider over recent weeks that the "uber-bearish" narrative on China has become entrenched, and that authorities have slim chances of engineering a rebound in the near term.