20 minutes ago
By Tessa Wong, Asia Digital Reporter, BBC
A Chinese dissident, who operates a popular X account featuring a cartoon cat, has spoken out about Beijing’s attempts to silence him.
During the anti-lockdown protests that erupted across Chinese cities in November 2022, hundreds of thousands of people around the world turned to an unexpected source for updates – a mysterious X account fronted by a cartoon cat.
This account, run by an art school student named Li Ying in Italy, provided real-time updates on protests, police actions, and arrests sourced from ordinary citizens. Much of this information was not available through China’s state media or internet, making Mr. Li a crucial source for politically sensitive news.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Li revealed that he has faced harassment from the Chinese authorities, who have targeted not only him but also his friends, family, and followers on X in a coordinated effort to intimidate him.
Mr. Li’s journey into activism began inadvertently, as he started by sharing love stories on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in China, he became increasingly concerned about the situation back home and began posting about the harsh lockdowns and struggles faced by ordinary people.
After facing censorship on Weibo, Mr. Li moved to Twitter, where his following grew rapidly, especially during the White Paper protests against China’s strict zero-Covid policies in late 2022. Despite receiving death threats and pressure from the authorities, Mr. Li continued to provide a platform for protest information.
The growing concerns about Chinese espionage and pressure on citizens living abroad have raised alarms in the West. Reports suggest that Beijing is monitoring and harassing Chinese citizens overseas, leading to accusations of transnational repression.
Mr. Li believes he is now a target of this repression, as authorities have surveilled his family, questioned his contacts in China, and pressured his followers to unfollow him. Despite the mounting pressure, Mr. Li remains determined to continue his activism, even as he faces increasing threats and intimidation tactics from the Chinese government.
The full extent of the Chinese government’s involvement in targeting Mr. Li and his followers remains unclear, but the situation highlights the challenges faced by dissidents operating in exile.