| Part of a series on |
| Antisemitism |
|---|
 |
 Category |
Antisemitism in the People's Republic of China is a mostly 21st century phenomenon and is complicated by the fact that there is little ground for antisemitism in China in historical sources.[1][2][3] In the 2020s, antisemitic conspiracy theories in China began to spread and intensify.[4][5][6] Some Chinese people believe in antisemitic tropes that Jews secretly rule the world and are business-minded.[7]
Hongbing Song, a Chinese American IT consultant and amateur historian, published the Currency Wars series, believing Jewish financiers controlled the international banking systems since the era of Napoleon.[8] Song also says in his book that the key functions of the Federal Reserve have been ultimately controlled by five private banks, including Citibank, all of which have maintained "close ties" with the Rothschild family, one Jewish group that led to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The book became a bestseller and even has been read by some high ranking Chinese officials.[4][9][10]
According to the polls made by the Anti-Defamation League in 2014, roughly 20 percent of Chinese people have a negative attitude towards Jews, and the older people are, the more likely they are to have a negative perception of Jews.[7][11]
During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, state-owned newspaper Ta Kung Pao published antisemitic George Soros conspiracy theories, displaying Soros as a reptile in collusion with Jimmy Lai.[12]
The May 2021 events in Gaza precipitated Chinese state-run media invoking antisemitic tropes and sentiments, encouraged by top Chinese diplomats, and rehashed by well-known Chinese political commentators.[13] In particular, Israel's embassy in Beijing accused China Global Television Network of "blatant antisemitism" when it broadcast a program during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, in which host Zheng Junfeng claimed that Jews were in control of global finances and had a powerful lobby in the United States in order to get the U.S. to support Israel.[14][15][16]
Political blogger Sima Nan's Weibo channel spread the notion that Jews colluded with the Japanese to establish a Jewish homeland on Chinese territory during the Second Sino-Japanese War.[17] In September 2021, BYD appointed Lu Kewen, an online influencer known for spreading antisemitic tropes, as a spokesperson for the company.[13]
In 2023, articles that interpreted the Fugu Plan as an antisemitic conspiracy theory against China went viral on Chinese social media.[6][18] Following the discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, conspiracy theories spread in China that the Tokyo Electric Power Company was financed by Jewish people.[19]
Antisemitic reactions to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war were widespread on Chinese social media.[20][21][22] Antisemitic comments were not removed from Chinese social media sites.[23][24] Sympathetic portrayals of Hamas have proliferated on Bilibili.[25]
