Chinese journalist — and editor-in-chief of the Global Times — Hu Xijin got swift backlash after he called a fake Donald Trump Jr. twitter account a coward.
The exchange began with Turning Point USA’s Benny Johnson, who suggested a number of ways in which China should be held accountable for the misinformation that has circulated with regard to the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnson, a Daily Caller alum, said that once the “China virus dies,” the following measures should be undertaken:
- Recognize Taiwan
- Tariff Chinese goods for Virus Relief Fund
- Repatriate manufacturing and medicine production
- Give tax break to businesses to leave China
- Economically invest in India
- Deduct $ spent on virus from China Debt
When an unverified account using Donald Trump Jr’s photo tweeted agreement with Johnson, Xijin responded with a challenge. (RELATED: ‘Beyond The Pale’: Trump Jr. Spokesman Fires Back At Threats From Democratic Congressman)
“Too timid. How much money you can collect if you just play such petty tricks in the US? You should call for direct robbery in China where there is huge amount of wealth. Dare you? Do you have the strength? Coward!” Xijin tweeted.
Too timid. How much money you can collect if you just play such petty tricks in the US? You should call for direct robbery in China where there is huge amount of wealth. Dare you? Do you have the strength? Coward! pic.twitter.com/usD2BfMCSm
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) April 10, 2020
Johnson, assuming that the insult had been directed at him, fired back immediately. “You call me a ‘coward?'” he asked. “How are you tweeting when Twitter is illegal for all Chinese people? In fact, the Chinese Communist Party will put your countrymen *in jail* if they use Twitter. Try tweeting something critical of Chairman Xi. See how long you last, bitch. Hu is the coward.”
You call me a “coward?”
How are you tweeting when Twitter is illegal for all Chinese people?
In fact, the Chinese Communist Party will put your countrymen *in jail* if they use Twitter.
Try tweeting something critical of Chairman Xi.
See how long you last, bitch.
Hu is the coward https://t.co/ehua2Xn29N— Benny (@bennyjohnson) April 10, 2020
Johnson took it a step further, accusing Xijin of having his own tweets authored by the Chinese Communist Party. “Listen you sniveling propaganda organ of an evil regime, you only are given access to a Twitter account because the Chinese Communist Party writes your tweets for you. But when Chinese students go to jail for using Twitter, you sit silent. Like a bitch,” Johnson concluded.
Listen you sniveling propaganda organ of an evil regime,
You only are given access to a twitter account because the Chinese Communist Party writes your tweets for you.
But when Chinese students go to jail for using Twitter, you sit silent.
Like a bitchhttps://t.co/ec54K4i8it
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) April 10, 2020
Johnson included an article about a University of Minnesota student who was jailed in China just a few months earlier for tweeting cartoon images on Chinese President Xi Jinping.