Several Chinese state media accounts were blocked in India on Wednesday, after the authorities accused them of disseminating Pakistani propaganda and misinformation. The move came in the wake of India’s strong protest against China’s decision to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
Among the accounts rendered inaccessible on X were those of China’s official news agency Xinhua and the state-backed tabloid, Global Times. Turkey’s TRT World was also blocked. Both China and Turkey are known allies of Pakistan, with China supplying the majority of Islamabad’s defence imports. On Thursday, access to the Global Times account was reportedly restored following a legal request.
Over the past week, India has targeted thousands of social media accounts, including those of established media organisations and journalists, drawing criticism from press freedom advocates. While X is widely used in India, it remains banned in China.
The action comes after last week’s military clashes. Conflicting narratives have emerged from both sides, with social and traditional media awash with unverified reports and propaganda.
Last week, India’s embassy in Beijing accused the Global Times of spreading “disinformation” after it published a report claiming that Pakistan had downed an Indian fighter jet.
China, while publicly calling for restraint from both countries, has been perceived as backing Pakistan more overtly—particularly through its arms supplies, including fighter jets reportedly used in the skirmishes. Chinese media outlets celebrated the alleged downing of Indian aircraft.
On Sunday, the Chinese government announced a new batch of “standardised” placenames for areas it claims within India’s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh—referred to by Beijing as Zangnan.
India responded sharply, condemning the announcement as “vain and preposterous”.
“Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday.
In response, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian insisted the region was Chinese territory and that the naming exercise fell “within China’s sovereign rights”.
India and China, the world’s two most populous countries, share a long and often tense 3,800km border in the Himalayas. Relations remain fragile, particularly after a deadly clash in 2020 that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead.