Chinese journalist says Russia 'can't go back to the country it was in' before deleting comment

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times. Photo: Gilles Sabry. back to the country she was in» following Yevgeny Prigozhin's coup attempt, before apparently deleting his tweet.

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Communist Party-run Global Times, said on Saturday that the result of Chief Wagner's coup attempt would be «tragic» after he ordered his troops to march on Moscow.

“His armed rebellion made the political situation in Russia critical. Regardless of its outcome, Russia can no longer return to the country it was before the uprising,” Mr Hu allegedly wrote in a tweet that was later deleted.

The cancellation came as Beijing issued neutral statements about the riots are clearly trying to downplay the significance of the crisis.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko (left) and China&#39th Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Photo: HANDOUT

On Sunday, after an abrupt deal was reached to expel the Wagner boss, Mr. Hu tweeted: “Prigozhin quickly stopped and the uprising was stopped without bloodshed, which obviously narrowed the impact on authority Putin, although not to zero. /p>Chinese official media 'downplay'

Beijing is an important partner for Moscow and refuses to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Western leaders shun Putin, Xi Jinping, China's president, praises his «strong leadership», seeing his rule as a counterbalance to Washington's influence in the world, and the two countries' bilateral trade has skyrocketed.

On Chinese social media networks, the mutiny was a hot topic, and many people expressed confusion about the unfolding events.

“Most Chinese comments on Weibo are concerned about the domino effect: if Russia leaves, China could be next,” said Wen-Ti Sun, a political scientist at the Australian Center for the Study of China in the World at the Australian National University.

The minutes of Sunday's meeting in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gan and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko did not mention the turmoil. And Chinese media coverage has been limited, with little to no mention of the story on the main page of the official Xinhua news agency.

Sunday, June 25

«Chinese official media seem to downplay the story,» said Mr. Song.

This is likely because the story of the Wagner group's rebellion contradicts the narrative about Putin as a strong leader who has the full support of his people and is here in the long run as China's preferred global partner — and therefore worth China paying some short-term diplomatic expenses.»

Instead, Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported on the Scarlet Sails water festival in St. Petersburg, accompanied by a video of fireworks and boats lit up at night to highlight the continued stability in Russia.

“While the participants expressed concern over the situation, they said they believe to the government,” Xinhua reports.