PM Modi’s Weibo account goes blank after his photo, posts, comments were removed

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Weibo account in China went white on Wednesday after his photos, posts and comments were deleted from the account.

The deletion of all contents from the Indian Prime Minsiter’s Weibo comes 10 days after at least three official Indian statements were deleted form the Indian embassy’s official handle on social media app, WeChat.

It couldn’t be immediately learnt when PM Modi’s Weibo account was taken down however on Wednesday, the page was unfilled.

It also comes in the backdrop of India banning 59 Chinese apps due to security and data breach concerns.

Earlier today, all information from PM Modi’s handle, which included his profile picture were removed.

Modi’s Weibo account was set up in 2015 in the midst of much fanfare and publicity before his first visit to China as prime minister.

After that the account had 244000 followers, most of them being Chinese.

After 2015, but barring this year, Modi had wished President Xi Jinping ahead of his birthday on June 15.

He also published messages on Sino-India ties especially after meetings with the Chinese president.

PM Modi’s posts on Weibo were all in Chinese. An Indian embassy source said, “We are taking action to unsubscribe the account”.

The unforeseen removing of PM Modi’s Weibo handle and Indian governmenrt’s posts on Chinese social media come in the shadow of the face-off and on going tension, between India and China in Ladakh’s Galwan region.

Previously, an India’s external affairs ministry (MEA) statement about the Indian position on the ongoing India-China border tension was mysteriously removed from the embassy’ official Weibo account a day before the WeChat posts were deleted.

However the message that appeared on WeChat when clicking the MEA’s statement on Galwan Valley face-off stated, “This content was reported and confirmed by the platform of the following:” before it says in Mandarin: “Suspected of violating relevant laws, regulations and policies”.

According to WeChat, the spokesperson’s statement was taken down because it carried “…contents prohibited by laws and regulations of the state.”

The list of regulations include: “endangers national security, divulges state secrets, subverts state power, or undermines national unity, inciting hatred, disseminating false information, inciting illegal assembly, demonstration or gathering of people to disturb public order”.

Also Read: China deploys additional forces on Ladakh border, India prepares for extended tussle