Chinese companies remove ‘Israel’ from digital maps as Xi backs Palestine

Top Chinese tech companies Alibaba and Baidu have dropped Israel’s official name from their digital maps available online. The move comes as the Chinese internet is getting inundated with antisemitism following the war between the Jewish country and the Islamist terror outfit Hamas.

Wall Street Journal on Monday first reported that Baidu and Alibaba no longer referred to Israel by name.

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“Baidu’s Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognised borders of Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories, plus key cities, but don’t clearly identify the country by name,” the report said.

Notably,names of nations as small as Luxembourg could be seen in their entirety, but not of Israel. The Chinese companies have so far given no explanation behind this move.

Antisemitism in Chinese media and social media

Over the last month, antisemitism has flooded the Chinese internet, a territory strictly monitored by the Chinese Communist Party.

One comment by a top Chinese nationalist commentator generated massive engagementon China’s X-like platform ‘Weibo’, which warned the West against not forcing “others to the corner".

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"In the past, Germany persecuted you. Now, you persecute Palestinians. In this world, do not force others to the corner because you would only be digging your own grave," wrote the commentator.

"Jews always talk about how badly they were treated during World War II and throughout history. But you can't ask why. Otherwise, you are called a racist or that you envy their money," said another commentator in a Weibo post with over 2,000 likes.

Chinese media has also been reprimanding the US for standing “on the wrong side of history on Gaza".Chinese President Xi Jinping himself has thrown his weight behind Palestine.

"It is not possible to continue the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinians," the Chinese president said at the opening of the Riyadh-Gulf-Chinese Summit for Cooperation and Development in Saudi Arabia.

What Chinese think of Jews?

Conspiracy theories regarding Jewish influence have long circulated on China's internet, suggesting that organisations like Freemasonry have covertly wielded control over the US government and global affairs.

A Weibo account affiliated with China's state-owned CCTV alleged that the Jewish community held significant influence in USfinance and politics, often citing Israel as a decisive factor in American elections. This post has been removed since.

(With inputs from agencies)

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