Political figure Alice Weidel discussing Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu
Purrfect Puzzle:
Navigating through Xiaohongshu, a well-known social media platform in China, one might come across an unusual mix - a dancing cat, a skincare review, and, in slow motion, Alice Weidel, with some cool filters, a lopsided grin, and catchy tunes. And so, the ever-present Alice Weidel, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group, finds herself in the limelight amidst China's digital landscape, not as a figure of hate, but a cultural icon.
Weidel's viral fame in China didn't burst onto the scene overnight. For years, accounts featuring her parliamentary speeches, replete with Chinese subtitles, have been floating around. However, it was during the recent federal election campaign that her public following skyrocketed. The narrative is always the same: "Resilient leader defies the system." In the digital world, Weidel has earned the nickname of "Iron Lady," harking back to Margaret Thatcher, but also to the idealized image of a strong, unyielding woman swimming against the current.
These videos are primarily cultural projections, much like the fan videos adorning East Asian social media about celebrities and musicians. Weidel serves as a canvas for these projections due to her biography. She has lived in China, is fluent in Mandarin, and wrote her doctoral thesis on the Chinese pension system, making her relatable to her Chinese admirers as "a German who understands us." In some comments, she is even associated with "virtue," a Confucian term for moral integrity, and honesty. The coincidence that the same character is used in the word "Germany" is occasionally playfully acknowledged.
The fact that Alice Weidel is a central figure of the extremist right in Germany, whose party consistently spreads hatred towards minorities and advocates for a right-authoritarian worldview, is often overlooked in this light. Most of Weidel's Chinese followers are not classic right-wing ideologues. Many are independent thinkers engaging with hashtags, sharing memes, and clips, primarily drawn from the urban middle class, educated, globally mobile, and secure.
There exists a segment within this group that leans towards far-right ideologies in China. These individuals view Weidel not just as a pop-cultural symbol but as a standard-bearer of the culture war. This attitude isn't a uniquely Chinese phenomenon but part of a global, digitally connected constellation where conservatives and far-right activists exchange ideas. In forums, Telegram channels, and comment sections, they gather as the opposition to the perceived "woke majority." Migration, gender debates, climate policy - all of it painted as annoying, intrusive, and "newfangled." Leaders in this global right span from Elon Musk, Jordan Peterson to Alice Weidel.
From Digital Catwalk to Controversy
So, how do representatives of the global right end up nestled in the Chinese timeline? The journey seldom starts with official media but rather through a loose digital infrastructure. Content is downloaded from YouTube, X, or Telegram, translated, stylishly enhanced, and re-uploaded on Chinese platforms. The political essence often fades, but the style remains.
The AfD and Alice Weidel are becoming more visible in China's internet, but this alone does not suggest ideological domination over their ideologies. Instead, two distinct trends intermingle: the image of Weidel as an aesthetically-filtered figure, largely overlooked for substance and functioning primarily through image, posture, and soundtrack, and a politically motivated reception: conscious and intentional sharing of right-wing narratives from the West, adapted for the Chinese context.
Rather than signaling a unified or state-controlled political camp, Chinese reactions to Weidel and her ilk - beyond the aforementioned culture warriors - reflect a fragmented, multivocal society where individuals freely engage with global issues. However, the fascination with figures like Weidel reveals a desire for alternatives to the moral framework of the West, often perceived less as a stance and more as hubris in many Chinese contexts. After all, Western, including left-wing, voices often remain entrenched in a moralistic, preachy tone when addressing China, focusing mainly on chastisements. This suggests that the fan culture around Weidel is not just a Chinese, but also a Western or German error.
Instrumentalizing China Policy by the AfD
While Weidel's popularity owes more to digital aesthetics and cultural projections, the case of AfD MEP Maximilian Krah reveals the intersection of external political interests and populist strategies. Krah has long positioned himself as "pro-China" and criticized the German government's China policy. Recently, though, he finds himself at the heart of corruption allegations; investigations against him for suspected bribery are underway. It's about illicit payments from an environment linked to espionage activities, including an employee from Krah's team taken into custody due to suspected espionage for China.
This affair unveils how individual AfD representatives endeavor to exploit China's geopolitical role for domestic political gain, seemingly sacrificing principles in the process. Krah's focus is not on Chinese politics but on the role China should play in the AfD's internal power struggle: as a symbol of an alternative order opposed to the West's "value-driven" foreign policy. The party prioritizes political expediency over a coherent China strategy, using real geopolitical tensions to fuel its populist agenda. The notion that Beijing is part of the party's own cultural struggle is evidently arrogant.
In summary, Weidel and the AfD are gaining traction in China's digital landscape, but this doesn't necessarily indicate ideological appropriation. Technological infrastructure and algorithmic dynamics create loose networks that shape their image. The absence of context leaves room for interpretations. The AfD can present itself as a reasonable alternative to the government's China policy, rebuffing ridicule but making few concrete proposals. In reality, their Western criticisms often read as arrogant abroad.
- Amidst the diverse content on social-media platforms like Xiaohongshu, migration occurs between different themes, such as politics, entertainment, and war-and-conflicts, as evidenced by Alice Weidel's viral fame in China.
- Policy-and-legislation discussions often take a backseat on social media, with pop-culture elements becoming more prevalent, as seen in the catchy tunes accompanying Alice Weidel's video clips on Chinese platforms.
- In the global digital landscape, leaders like Alice Weidel are not just figures of politics but also icons of pop-culture, with their biographies serving as a canvas for social projections, as demonstrated by the Chinese admiration for Weidel.
- Crime-and-justice might seem unrelated to the digitally connected world of conservatives, but it's a crucial aspect of their conversations, as seen in the opposition within these online forums to what they perceive as the "woke majority" and their focus on subjects like migration, gender debates, and climate policy.
- General-news platforms often overlook the ideological leanings of popular personalities, like Alice Weidel, focusing more on their digital aesthetics and cultural influences, but political undertones are always present, as witnessed in the AfD's instrumentalization of China policy for domestic political gain.
