The Francis Scott Key bridge, located in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed on March 26th after being rammed by a cargo ship, the Dali, which lost control of its steering. Much of the bridge sank into the river within seconds of being rammed.

The accident immediately drew attention on Chinese social media. On Weibo, for example, a video of the accident has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. On Chinese social media platforms, where anti-American sentiment is prevalent, many netizens celebrated the incident. A Weibo blogger named “Air Sky Toner” wrote: “This is a really beautiful sight, like watching a movie; this bridge is free from now on.”

The bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some Chinese netizens inferred that the bridge collapse signaled the decline of the United States. “It is not a good sign that this bridge collapsed,” one blogger wrote.

Some social media users also used the bridge collapse to mock American democracy. On the Chinese video website Bilibili, a commentary video with 24,000 likes said that the “a ship of democracy” caused the collapse of “a bridge of democracy.” The video went on to criticize the U.S.’ infrastructure problem.

False information about the accident spread widely on Chinese social media. A number of bloggers with large numbers of followers have claimed that the captain of the Dali was from Ukraine and that the accident was staged by the U.S. government. Some bloggers posted photos of the alleged Ukrainian captain’s credentials. The Associated Press found that a Ukrainian captain did indeed pilot the Dali years ago, from March 19 to July 27, 2016.

Some Chinese bloggers also claimed that CNN incorrectly reported that the collision was an attack from China. They posted screenshots with captions reading “A cargo ship loaded with Chinese goods attacked our bridge!” However, unlike Chinese media that often use the term “our country” to refer to China, American media, including CNN, rarely use that term to refer to the United States. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the screenshot was not from CNN, but from NBC’s local channel in Baltimore. In a statement to AFP, CNN said that it had never run a story like that; the image was fake, and the caption, font, and style are not CNN’s either.

Source: VOA, March 31, 2024
https://www.voachinese.com/a/baltimore-china-disinformation-20240329/7549288.html

Radio Free Asia recently published an article on the American Fujian Association’s apparent internal division and conflict with the Chinese Consulate. The American Fujian Association is a U.S.-based organization that has long been regarded as a pro-Communist overseas Chinese organization with extensive ties to the Chinese consulate.

On the evening of March 18th, the American Fujian Association in New York held a swearing-in ceremony for its “Co-President” Liu Aihua at the Junhao Restaurant in Flushing, New York. The honorary chairman of the Fujian Association, Chen Xueduan, a “patriotic overseas leader” for the Chinese community in the U.S., openly berated the Chinese Consul-General in New York, Huang Ping. In an online video, Chen stood on stage with Liu and three other members, holding a microphone and loudly addressing the audience, “President Liu Aihua is now suppressed by someone, by whom? By the Chinese consulate!” “No matter who suppresses him, we are patriots [of China], we will always be patriots. Huang Ping, the Consul-General, is a puppet Consul-General. When he was in power, he was high and mighty; but when he gets put into prison, he can only cry!” Chen also asked the media present to spread his speech.

Chen’s words received enthusiastic response from the audience, both on and off the stage.

The American Fujian Association has a history of 82 years. Recent years have seen internal disputes within the organization, leading to internal division and multiple groups acting independently. It currently has “Co-Presidents.” The Chinese Consulate at New York supports “President” Chen Heng, and on March 16th Consul-General Huang Ping attended an 82nd anniversary celebration hosted by Chen. But Huang didn’t attend “President” Liiu Aihua’s swearing-in ceremony on March 18th.

When it comes to suppressing overseas democratic activists or attacking Falun Gong and other faith groups and ethnic minority groups, the Fujian Association members frequently act as convenient “enforcers” for the Chinese consulate. In recent years, the U.S. has intensified efforts to combat Beijing’s infiltration in the U.S. On April 18, 2023, the FBI arrested two leaders of the Fujian Overseas Chinese Association in New York, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, accusing them of operating a “secret police station (for China)” in Manhattan’s Chinatown and attempting to act as agents of China. Both of these individuals are key members of the Fujian Association.

Some commentators have said that Chen Xueduan’s berating of the Chinese Consul-General is a “call to desertion,” indicating that the Communist Party is about to collapse and its days are numbered.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 27, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/kw-03272024103015.html