What is a bear to do? China bans Winnie the Pooh

WINNIE THE POOH has been banned on Chinese social media as the character is deemed too politically sensitive.

Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, began deleting posts which mentioned the bear over the weekend, while images were removed from the social messing service Wechat.

Those who try to post the Chinese characters of Winnie the Pooh on Sina Weibo are met with the error message: “This content is illegal”. The Chinese government has given no explanation for the move – but critics of President Xi Jinping often liken his appearance to that of Winnie the Pooh.

“Historically, two things have been not allowed: political organising and political action. But this year a third has been added to the list: talking about the president,” Qiao Mu, an assistant professor of media at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Financial Times.