Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China? — Radio Free Asia
Chinese social media influencers have recently claimed that prominent Chinese-born Australian journalist Vicky Xu had posted a message saying she planned to return to China.
There is no evidence for this. The source did not provide evidence to support the claim, and Xu herself later confirmed to AFCL that she has no such plans.
Currently working as an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, Xu has previously written for both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or ABC, and TheNew York Times.
A Chinese language netizen on X initially claimed on March 31 that the changing geopolitical relations between Sydney and Beijing had caused Xu to become an expendable asset and that she had posted a message expressing a strong desire to return to China. An illegible, blurred photo of the supposed message accompanied the post.
This claim was retweeted by a widely followed influencer on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo one day later, who additionally commented that Xu was a “traitor" who had been abandoned by Australian media.
Following the publication of an ASPI article in 2021 which exposed forced labor conditions in Xinjiang co-authored by Xu, the journalist was labeled “morally bankrupt” and "anti-China" by the Chinese state owned media outlet Global Timesand subjected to an influx of threatening messages and digital abuse, eventually forcing her to temporarily close several of her social media accounts.
AFCL found that neither Xu’s active X nor LinkedIn account has any mention of her supposed return to China, and received the following response from Xu herself about the rumor:
“I can confirm that I don’t have plans to go back to China. I think if I do go back I’ll most definitely be detained or imprisoned - so the only career I’ll be having is probably going to be prison labor or something like that, which wouldn’t be ideal.”
Neither a keyword search nor reverse image search on the photo attached to the original X post turned up any text from Xu supporting the netizens’ claims.
Translated & edited by Shen Ke. Additional editing by Malcolm Foster.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagramand X.
Related articles
US tuberculosis cases were at the highest level in a decade in 2023
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade, accordin2024-04-24- Lady Tatiana Mountbatten has celebrated the christening of her baby daughter Elodie in a stunning ch2024-04-24
US House passes controversial surveillance bill on 4th attempt
WASHINGTON —The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted to reauthorize a controver2024-04-24Norway's Arctic north wants to bring in a 26
Norway's Arctic north has presented a bizarre plan to bring in a 26-hour day which would see clocks2024-04-24Firefighters in New Jersey come to the rescue of a yellow Labrador stuck in a spare tire
FRANKLINVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Firefighters in southern New Jersey came to the rescue of a dog who got s2024-04-24CONTRIBUTIONS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS
CONTRIBUTORS STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION 1.1 The definitions and2024-04-24
atest comment