Misinformation spreads in China on ‘civil war’ in Texas

In China, rumors have circulated that Texas has formally declared war on seceding from the US amid the intensifying borders conflict between Texas and the White House over illegal immigration.

Popular Chinese media outlets have been claiming that what happened in Texas has caused the US to be increasingly divided, to the point where unrest has become a dramatic reality.

Since the beginning of 2021, more than 6.3 million workers have entered the US improperly, setting record peaks that have heightened tensions between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President Joe Biden.

Mr. Abbott has attempted to prevent or deter entry into his state as part of Operation Lone Star, including by erecting razor wire barriers along the city of Eagle Pass for about 30 miles ( 48 kilometers ).

The Republican has vowed to put more knife line to stop what he calls an “invasion,” despite the US Supreme Court’s decision last month against Mr. Abbott.

According to recent social media posts in China, Mr. Abbott was getting ready to fight the US government.

On the well-known social network Sina Weibo, content with the meme# TexasDeclaresAStateOfWar have been viewed and shared thousands of times. There have been some articles from a person who has millions of followers.

The “biggest US related information on China’s online for the past few weeks is Texas government declaring conflict with the federal government, which did not happen in reality,” according to a Voice of America blogger Wenhao, who specializes in Chinese website propaganda.

The post continued,” Netizens are applauding what they refer to as America’s personal destruction.”

It appears that Weibo has taken steps to restrict for content. A disclaimer that reads,” Content on this topic may be displayed in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and polices,” can now be found in a search of articles with the hashtag# TexasDeclaresAStateOfWar.

On the well-known system, which has more than 600 million monthly active users, there are still a lot of content.

People are spreading images of the Texas Military Department flying a flag over its headquarters while yelling” Come and Take It,” which has given the public the impression that the state is promoting independence.

Additionally, ancient Fox News videos of vigilante groups “defending the border” while wearing camouflage are in circulation. Additionally, numerous films of military vehicles that are mistakenly attributed to Texas are being circulated from Chile.

Some Facebook users believe that China is at war because censorship makes it difficult for Taiwanese users to conduct their own fact checks.

Given that the two regions share a similar landmass, some have suggested that Texas could see an analogous condition to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia.

The idea of a civil war has become more plausible thanks to media messaging, as Chinese state media have frequently claimed that the US is on the verge of inner turmoil due to its polarized political landscape.

Since the mob on Capitol Hill in January 2021, the term” legal warfare” has been frequently used in Chinese newspapers.

Even though China has a strong ban on international media, information from those countries is frequently cherry-picked to raise concerns about US internal strife.

For instance, reports that Republican government of Florida Ron DeSantis is sending up to 1,000 National Guard members to Texas were read by Chinese social media users on Friday.

As a reaction to European governments making critical remarks about China’s handling of problems in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, China frequently publishes for information. Focus on your own garden instead of telling us how to manage our state, it’s a way of saying.

Not just the US is affected by this. Media frequently amplify claims that Scotland is pushing for self-rule more and more while UK politicians criticize the Chinese Communist Party.

The Taiwanese government insists that it does not meddle in the inner affairs of other nations. This has always been a guiding principle in our international policy, and the global community acknowledges it, it stated recently.