China muzzles ‘Cannon’

Chinese authorities yesterday shut down the social media accounts of a tycoon nicknamed “The Cannon” after he criticized the ruling Communist Party’s tightening grip on the media. The move by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) against Ren Zhiqiang came just over a week after President Xi Jinping visited state media and ordered them to follow the party line more closely. The Internet regulator ordered the microblogging platforms of Sina and Tencent to shut down Ren’s accounts “for spreading illegal information”, state news agency Xinhua reported. “Cyberspace is not a lawless field and it should not be used to spread illegal information by anyone,” said CAC spokesperson Jiang Jun. Ren’s accounts were closed after netizens reported that he had regularly posted illegal information, “resulting in a vile influence”, according to Jiang. The spokesperson, vowing intensified efforts to monitor online content, told celebrity microbloggers to “shoulder their due social responsibilities, and promote ‘positive energy’ actively”. Last Monday state media blasted Ren, an outspoken property tycoon, for criticizing the party’s tightening media grip and Xi’s tour of official outlets.

Ren, nicknamed “the Cannon” for his provocative opinions and blunt defenses of economic inequality, was the target of twin columns in the state-affiliated news portal Qianlong for questioning on social media whether public money should be spent on party propaganda. “When did the people’s government change into the party’s government?” the commentary quoted Ren’s since-deleted post as saying.