China coup rumour: How did it originate?
India Today
Social media was abuzz with rumours of a possible coup in China against President Xi Jinping. Here's how the rumour originated and how it spread.
The hashtag “ChinaCoup” was one of the biggest stories last week. We at India Today broke it down in parts as to how baseless rumours ruled the charts across social media sites concerning Xi Jinping’s supposed house arrest to clearance of airspace across Beijing to what not. In part two of the story, we delve into the origination of the trends and how the story received a worldwide focus.
This is a typical case of how social media and the internet can aid in spreading fake news or disinformation, creating global waves. Practically speaking, a military coup in China will turn the world upside down. The markets will crash. Geopolitical alignments will change. Diplomatic missions will be working 24x7. It will bring political turmoil within China. We saw high-profile accounts on social media sharing. False, unverified information with utmost conviction. This even included “Pulitzer Prize” winners!
READ | Social media abuzz with rumour of coup in Beijing against Xi Jinping
It also tells you, unlike other countries, China is opaque. While it may take a max of a few hours to verify a covert military coup in another part of the world, the China coup rumours practically went around for two full days before it was scuttled.
Multiple observers, including Drew Thompson, who is a former Department of Defense official responsible for China, Taiwan and Mongolia and is now based in Singapore, traced the origination of the rumour to one Zhao Lanjian (not to be confused with Zhao Lijian, who is the Deputy Director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department).
Zhao Lanjian is supposed to be based in New York and regularly contributes articles to the New Tang Dynasty TV. It is important to note that the New Tang Dynasty network was founded in 2001 by the adherents of the Falun Gong new religious movement with its base in New York. They routinely critique abuses of power by the Chinese Communist Party.
