China's Tech Giants Remove Israel's Name From Digital Maps After President Xi Jinping Expressed Support For Palestine

Prominent Chinese technology giants, Alibaba and Baidu, have made a significant alteration to their online digital maps by removing Israel's official name from their representations.

This decision comes in the midst of a concerning surge in antisemitism on the Chinese internet, a development triggered by the recent conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas.

The Wall Street Journal initially reported this change on Monday, revealing that both Baidu and Alibaba have ceased referring to Israel by name on their digital maps.

Instead, Baidu's Chinese language online maps now display the internationally recognized borders of Israel, the Palestinian territories, and key cities, without explicitly labeling the country by its name.

Notably, while even smaller nations like Luxembourg are depicted with their names intact, Israel has been conspicuously omitted from this portrayal, Wion reported.

Surprisingly, both companies have refrained from offering any formal explanation or clarification regarding this conspicuous adjustment in their digital mapping.

Over the past month, antisemitism has surged significantly, with inflammatory remarks gaining considerable traction on Chinese social media platforms.

Additionally, Chinese media has criticised the United States for its stance on the Gaza conflict, accusing it of being on the "wrong side of history." Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed strong support for Palestine, emphasising the need to rectify historical injustices suffered by the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, longstanding conspiracy theories regarding Jewish influence have circulated on China's internet, suggesting that organizations like Freemasonry covertly exert control over the US government and global affairs.

One Weibo account associated with China's state-owned CCTV alleged that the Jewish community held significant sway in US finance and politics, often citing Israel as a decisive factor in American elections. It's worth noting that this particular post has been subsequently removed from the platform.