Antisemitism going mainstream in China, report warns

Universities and social media serving as major vectors for the spread of antisemitism in China, as report sounds alarm on worrying trend. 

By World Israel News Staff

A new report published on Monday by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) warns of a worrying trend in China suggesting that antisemitism is gaining mainstream acceptance.

The JPPI warned that the expression of antisemitic views has risen significantly in recent years in China, appearing in state-linked media discourse, universities, and social media in a development the authors describe as unusual for a country long viewed as largely free of traditional antisemitism.

The study analyzes Chinese media content, statements by influencers and academics, social media activity, and the geopolitical context surrounding China’s public discourse.

According to the report, antisemitism in China is not confined to fringe spaces and at times is echoed—or indirectly encouraged – within mainstream channels.

A central theme, said the report’s author, Dr. Shalom Salomon Wald, is the repeated blurring of distinctions between Israel, Jews, and Judaism across not only mainstream social media pages but also from officially sanctioned sources, ranging from academia to state media.

Universities in particular were identified as a major vector for radicalization, with increasingly extreme anti-Israel sentiments being openly expressed, sometimes crossing the line into overt antisemitism.

The report says some academic discourse employs terminology such as “colonialism,” “Western imperialism,” and “delegitimization” in ways that challenge the legitimacy of Israel’s existence.

On Chinese social media, the report describes what it calls a “fertile ground” for antisemitic propaganda, including content posted by high-profile influencers. The report cites examples of accounts sharing anti-Jewish material, sometimes drawing on classic Nazi-era sources, with what it characterizes as limited enforcement or sanction by authorities.

Antisemitism in China underwent a marked change beginning in 2021, gaining broader appeal that accelerated dramatically following the Hamas invasion of Israel in 2023.

Wald offered several recommendations for handling the rise in antisemitism in China, calling on Israel to maintain and strengthen diplomatic ties while at the same time setting red lines and clear boundaries regarding the expression of overt antisemitism.

In addition, he called for greater professional monitoring of Chinese discourse, greater academic and cultural cooperation, and mobilizing Jewish communities and friendly governments to respond to antisemitism.

“When a nation with the world’s second-largest population and one of the main architects of an information environment permits the spread of antisemitic ideas, inflames them, or accepts them with tolerance, its conduct has an impact that resonates far beyond its borders, and we must look at the phenomenon with clear-eyed sobriety,” said JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern.

“The policy implications are practical and immediate. Israel must continue to sustain its priceless relationship with the United States even as it leaves room for constructive connections with China. It should mobilize Jewish communities around the world and join with governments — especially in Europe — that consistently denounce antisemitic words and deeds and even impose penalties for such actions.”