Israel’s very popular on Weibo—thanks to China’s online Islamophobia — Quartz
▻https://qz.com/1290584/israels-very-popular-on-weibo-thanks-to-chinas-online-islamophobia
What explains Israel’s appeal on Weibo? Shimi Azar, a former manager social media manager at the embassy, told the Chinese state media outlet Global Times that a well-publicized 2014 visit to China by former Israeli president Shimon Peres helped bring about a surge in followers. But an earlier study cited in Ryan’s report noted that it was not in the top 10 in 2015.
Another likely boost to the embassy’s popularity—its followers in China see its social media pages as an outlet for sharing Islamophobic comments, that at times become outright hate speech.