June 09, 2021
Twitter/Reuters
Nearly 200 Chinese intellectuals who took part in a Japanese government-affiliated exchange programme have been branded traitors on Chinese social media, reflecting rising nationalistic sentiment in China.
They were sponsored to visit Japan by the Japan Foundation, which is overseen by the Japanese foreign ministry and funded by government subsidies, investment revenue and private sector donations.
The programme was started in 2008 to improve exchanges between the two countries, with 196 Chinese intellectuals having been sponsored as of 2019, the ministry said.
But participants have been criticised by some people online, after the visits recently came to their attention. He Bing, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, writers Jiang Fangzhou and Xiong Peiyun, and journalist Duan Hongqing were among those targeted.
Beijing [China], June 9 (ANI): Nearly 200 Chinese intellectuals, who took part in a Japanese government-affiliated exchange programme, have been branded as 'traitors' on Chinese social media, reflecting rising nationalistic sentiment in China.
Chinese intellectuals called traitors after Japan event
10 Jun 2021, 04:37 GMT+10
Beijing [China], June 9 (ANI): Nearly 200 Chinese intellectuals, who took part in a Japanese government-affiliated exchange programme, have been branded as traitors on Chinese social media, reflecting rising nationalistic sentiment in China.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Chinese intellectuals were sponsored to visit Japan by the Japan Foundation, overseen by the Japanese foreign ministry.
The programme was started in 2008 to improve exchanges between the two countries, with 196 Chinese intellectuals having been sponsored as of 2019, the ministry said.
However, participants have been criticised by some people online, after the visits recently came to their attention. Among these were He Bing, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, writers Jiang Fangzhou and Xiong Peiyun, and journalist Duan Hongqing.