Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Who would have guessed...?toosimple.substack.comFriday Everyday — the ‘independent’ Hong Kong media outlet run by Chinese politiciansCompany filings show links to United Front cadres, while owner says aim is to “spread China’s voice effectively” 000
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Man, these unsubstantiated fawning videos peddled by Beijing annoy me so much. Fact check. 2026 renewable energy mix: "Amazing" China: 41% "Frustrating" Britain: 43% 140
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 01/08/2026open.substack.com24yo American quits Chinese state media after mass fury over 'lucrative' salaryEdward Kuperman had recently joined the Dunhuang Media Center to promote China through short videos. 042
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Man likely to become Prime Minister, after a third of people in a suburb of Wigan vote him better than Count Binface. A snapshot of how UK's political system is both democratic.. and not. 000
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 13/06/2026open.substack.comBeijing restricts journalists, yes, but foreign media keeps self-sabotaging tooDetails behind NYT journalist's ejection; the BBC accidentally sets a new precedent on visas; and how China wears down reporters. 130
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 27/05/2026open.substack.com"I would make the world's worst spy ever”American Thomas Pauken II is in court Friday, charged with acting as an unregistered Chinese agent on US soil. Has he been hiding in plain sight, all along? 040
Reposted by WhiplingBeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 14/05/2026This is very funny. toosimple.substack.com/p/state-glee...toosimple.substack.comState gleefully pushes man who "had to go to China to find the American dream". They might want to read his book first.Memoir by Bradley Krae details years working illegally, stints in Asian jails, buying Class 1 drugs in Shenzhen, and fleeing the country. 48017
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Polls show Chinese ill feelings toward Japan are at historic highs, fanned by the Party. Many patriotic social media creators are using that xenophobia as a "cheat code" for viral videos. I took a quick look at some of them. Warning, contains dodgy acting and off-brand Rocky themes~open.substack.comJapanophobia — a quick way to go viral in ChinaSpurred on by Party messaging, content creators are tapping historically high levels of Chinese animosity toward Japan to boost their views online. 150
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Last week, an expat who “had to go to China to find his American dream” went viral. In 2024, Krae self-released a book vividly detailing his life in Shenzhen. Drugs. Working illegally. And fleeing the country when his dealer was executed. It's out of print now. But I managed to track down a copy~open.substack.comState gleefully pushes man who "had to go to China to find the American dream". They might want to read his book first.Memoir by Bradley Krae details years working illegally, stints in Asian jails, buying Class 1 drugs in Shenzhen, and fleeing the country. 080
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 01/05/2026For International Labour Day, China Daily celebrates human employees.. by replacing them with a digital avatar. 1131
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Staggering. Since Xi took over, South Korean favourability of China has plummeted. They now view it worse than North Korea. 141
Reposted by WhiplingBen @benjaminqiu.bsky.social · 11/04/2026Spot the difference between airports in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 06314
Reposted by WhiplingYaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 02/04/2026The marginalization of human rights in global discourse, particularly the lack of attention to human rights in China, is having an worrying effect: more and more people around the world are coming to see the CCP's authoritarianism as a model to be respected and emulated. 010230
Reposted by WhiplingYaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 23/03/2026This is encouraging news. When united, the E.U. is a powerful force. We need good values, but we also need the power to defend them. At this critical moment, the E.U. should assume that mantle. 0141
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 22/03/2026Back from a few days in Brussels. Where it's fair to say officials, experts are somewhat peeved at foreign meddling in European information system. And social media platforms who allow it unchecked.open.substack.comIs Europe waking up to foreign disinfo?Brussels is getting tired of Russia and China's "meddling"; of social media platforms turning a blind eye; and wants to "shoot back" with real "consequences". 3132
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 13/02/2026Happy weekend everyone. Go slow, have a few thousand words about life in a rural Chinese village.open.substack.comThe other China: Life in a rural villageI spend a few days in a rapidly vanishing place. Where food is free, doors are left open, and the main currency is grandchildren. 040
Reposted by Whiplingjohnraff @johnraff.bsky.social · 09/02/2026"That’s the thing with China: there’s ‘rules’, and there’s ‘the rules’. Half of China life is knowing which are which. Half the fun, too." China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember - by Whipling toosimple.substack.com/p/china-retu...toosimple.substack.comChina: Quieter, more fretful than I rememberAfter four years away, it's time to meet old friends and see what's changed. 052
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 06/01/2026Maduro was certainly something, but this is about Taiwan — specifically the way which China is trying to manufacture consent for a Taiwan invasion via "Cognitive Warfare". Not my words. Some top Party academic advisors.open.substack.comUSA executes the invasion of China's dreamsWhile Trump takes out Maduro in hours, Beijing is still building its Taiwan case via military peacocking and online "Cognitive Warfare". 020
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 12/12/2025Hard not see this as test set for UK. Starmer is penciled for a state visit to China next month, after a year of prep visit by Cabinet, advisers. Message from Beijing seems very clear: "How much do you want your trade?"reuters.comVerdict in trial of Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai looms as new diplomatic flashpointThe case has drawn international scrutiny as emblematic of China's crackdown on rights. 020
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 09/12/2025I don't know what's more mindbending: the entirety of this tweet (deleted after ~a minute) or that Shaun is still regularly booked by CNBC, blue chip firms for his insights on China. 4120
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 06/12/2025"How dare Taiwan ban the RedNote app," says Chinese state media, while borrowing the Internet of other countries, to post on X, an app blocked at home. 1337
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 26/11/2025Spent a little time looking at CGTN's influencer studios. How they operate. Some tricks they use, and how it is helping shape the outlet's future digital strategy.open.substack.comCGTN and its influencer studiosSocial media sleeper accounts. Evading Facebook advertising rules. Teaching university lectures. These are some ways China's biggest media outlet is advancing its propaganda aims. 2125
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 16/10/2025Now up.open.substack.com"You're in spy territory now"London falls into finger pointing as two ex-TEFL teachers manage to expose the UK's security weaknesses in Government 030
Reposted by WhiplingChina Media Project @chinamediaproject.bsky.social · 13/10/2025This one comes with a nice interactive pulldown table of (partial) pen names used in the CCP's official People's Daily. We aim to serve! 1127
Reposted by WhiplingFinbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 10/10/2025Been thinking about this all week. On the train to the Hague I was reading Edward Fishman's 'Chokepoints' In 2018, when Trump cut ZTE off from US kit, a newspaper run by China’s Ministry of Science & Technology published a series of 35 articles titled “What Are Our Chokepoints?” 22310
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 08/10/2025In a rare tweet, former Global Times chief Hu Xijin says: “The US cannot prevent China’s reunification with Taiwan by military means.” 🧐 It’s just one month since state media bent over backwards to describe Beijing's mammoth military parade as a not a show of force, but a "show of peace”. 091
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 25/09/2025Trump is likely to sign the TikTok deal today, hiving off a new US company. So I thought I'd take a look.. Did you know ByteDance worked with Beijing state media to promote state influencer studios on TikTok? Exclusive.open.substack.comWhy China is so keen to support TikTokThe Party has regularly collaborated with ByteDance to amplify state content abroad. Those who believe it is fully independent from Beijing are lying, or naive. 031
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 14/09/2025Thunk. This is a little looksy at how Chinese state media is currently trying to get out of the way of itself to enable workers, and deliver propaganda better-suited to the 21st Century. ✨Media Studios✨ Context. And how they’re run.toosimple.substack.com"No speed. No ability. Can't tell stories". Why China is turning to 'media studios' to revive its propagandaThese 'Light Cavalry' are designed to be small, nimble, and camouflaged — just don't ask them who they work for. 062
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 31/08/2025Substack has seen a quiet proliferation of Chinese state media accounts. Many are posing as 'independent journalists' — in fact, according to bosses, they are state-backed "studios", with the aim of subtly influencing "western elites" "drip-by-drip". Most recent investigation, now free to read~open.substack.comHow Chinese state media are quietly targeting "elites" via SubstackJournalists say they are writing "independent" newsletters. Their employers say otherwise. 1115
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 12/08/2025*WHO guidelines recommend annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3 — meaning China is 6x higher. Also. Pick your moment, guys. Today, is a "purple" day, with Beijing hitting 252 PM2.5. 😷 340
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 26/07/2025Xiangyu, a pro-Beijing Taiwanese rapper released a song about the DPP 'selling out'. CGTN offered to amplify it—but only if he made "politically sensitive" changes. Cue a hasty chorus rewrite, from: 🎶Taiwan is our home, we are Taiwanese🎶 -to- 🎶We are Chinese, our homeland is called Taiwan Province🎶 5122
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 26/07/2025Oh dear. Luke, a Brit who moved to Xinjiang, primarily as a shot in the arm for his influencer aspirations, and be state media's go-to foreign face on Uyghur issues, writes a long thread on XUAR's subtle political differences. Backfires. Gets full wrath from the botfarm. 1121
Reposted by WhiplingTom Richmond @tom-richmond.com · 25/07/2025Mind-blowing stats on nurseries in China: the number of births has fallen by half *since 2017*, leading to a collapse in early years provision. The future impact on primary and secondary education is going to be seismic. www.ft.com/content/8271... 1727777
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 25/07/2025CGTN's Jason Smith is currently hosting a livestream on X. "Chinese police are so safe! We went to a rural place in Qinghai and the police met us at the station and told us we couldn't be there. They followed us. There must have been a military base or something. I've never had an escort before!" 🧐 390
Reposted by WhiplingBeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 23/07/2025a) I've been enjoying this newsletter a lot, you should check it out b) I think if Xi went now he would probably be remembered half-well - basically for the 2010s successes - but if he sticks around another five, ten years or more he will be categorized like Brezhnev. 1014820
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 23/07/2025President Xi is by far the most powerful leader in China's recent history. But we're 13 years in, and his tenure has been one of economic mismanagement, disastrous foreign policy, and debt. A lot of debt. How will historians remember him? Probably not fondly.toosimple.substack.comWill President Xi be a forgotten man..?So far, his tenure has been one of borrowed wins, sputtering projects, and an economic ticking time-bomb. His legacy may be a rotten one. 1307
Reposted by WhiplingChun Han Wong @chunhanwong.bsky.social · 22/07/2025Chinese leader Xi Jinping isn’t quite the frequent flier he used to be. The most well-traveled leader in China’s history has reduced his international journeys in recent years, but he continues active diplomacy—as a host. A @wsj.com analysis on Xi's travel patterns since he took power in late 2012.wsj.comChina’s Xi Gives Up Air Miles for More Time at HomeThe leader has scaled back travel plans and skipped some key summits, but continues active diplomacy—as a host. 051
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 21/07/2025Utterly, utterly terrifying. At one point, a guy gets a louder round of applause for saying he's "a Nazi" than one does for saying he's a Christian.youtu.be1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)YouTube video by Jubilee 260
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 16/07/2025New figures from the China’s National Immigration Administration out today. A total of 38 million foreigners visited/left China in H1 2025. Up 30% year-on-year — but still down 20% compared to H1 2019. Numbers very different to state media messaging. No boom. Yet. 111
Reposted by WhiplingFinbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 15/07/2025Interesting Pew research on global opinions on China Negative views persist in Europe, but in 9/10 of those countries polled, China viewed more favourably than last yr France 23-36% Italy 35-45% Greece 47-56% Poland 26-35% Germany 20-29% UK 31-39% Netherlands 22-30% Hungary 44-51% Sweden 11-18% 263
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 06/07/2025open.substack.comWhere did all the laowai go?China has loudly been telling the world its tourist industry is booming. Videos show legions of happy tourists. Yet numbers tell a different story... 1409
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 01/07/2025Many are aghast how Princeton University Press accepted an all-expenses paid trip to Xinjiang, and were willingly used for propaganda purposes — but there are signs they didn't exactly send their brightest. 131
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Winning tickets to see Guns N' Roses. At Villa Park. In the sun. Week is off to a great start~ ☀️🎸 120
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 15/06/2025An ex-China state media worker did an interesting Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' the other day. Interesting read. 🧐 Not me. But it's def legit.reddit.comFrom the China community on RedditExplore this post and more from the China community 0176
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 13/06/2025Wow. Magic. ✨ Last article, I noted: ““Potside Chats” is China Daily’s flagship brand for its foreign presenters, yet most videos on its Wechat account have single digit likes.” Now all those videos have increased by precisely ~100 likes. While others unchanged. 👈 Before. After. 👉 240
Reposted by WhiplingSense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 09/06/2025China’s factory-gate deflation worst in 22 months as economic headwinds mount – Reuters: ‘The producer price index fell 3.3% in May from a year earlier, worse than a 2.7% decline in April and the deepest contraction in 22 months, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday.’reuters.comChina's factory-gate deflation worst in 22 months as economic headwinds mountChina's producer deflation deepened to its worst level in almost two years in May while consumer prices extended declines, as the economy grappled with trade tensions and a prolonged housing downturn. 122
Reposted by WhiplingFinbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 04/06/2025It's now June 5 in China and there was no post from the German embassy or ambassador on the Tiananmen anniversary Here's last year's, on the 35 anniversary. We hear a lot about how there'll be no human rights "grandstanding" from new chancellor Merz. Is this an early example? 0138
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 04/06/2025And... *breathe* Last night was fun. Thank you to the China Correspondent's Club of London team who put it together, and all 90 (!) who crammed into a boiling room on a school night—especially the dozen hardy souls who had to stand. Fascinating chats after. And a lot of Wechat/Whatsapps exchanged~ 120
Whipling @seanhaines.bsky.social · 04/06/2025In what's becoming an annual tradition, Shanghai Daily's "Andy Boreham" tries posting "the truth" about Tiananmen Square... only to delete it hours later. Bosses aren't happy~ 282
