Xi Jinping visited the media in China with "high visibility, low discussion": official content was at the forefront of the search, and some comment areas were closed.

After Xi ended his country visit to the United States, the domestic information surrounding the trip became a new point of view. According to the Diplomatic Scholars ' Journal of 26 September, on platforms such as Weibo, Dancing and Little Red Books, the results of Xi ' s search in the United States are heavily dominated by official media and institutional accounts, while the public discussions among ordinary users are relatively limited; Some of the official post comments areas have been restricted or closed.

The official report was released late and soon thereafter distributed

It was only on 21 September that Beijing officially confirmed that Xi would visit the United States from 23 to 25 September. The author of the Diplomatic Scholar interviewed more than a dozen interviewees in China and abroad before and after the visit, and found that some of the interviewees were unaware of the official announcement. The visit began with a rapid increase in the number of reports from official media and official accounts, which resulted in a highly consistent flow of visible information around the presentations of welcome ceremonies, the Führer's talks, the State feast and “strategic stability”.

It should be emphasized that this observation, which is based on a limited sample and platform search results, does not alone prove that all relevant discussions were deleted. The platform ' s sequencing mechanism, user interest, self-review and content management may all have a common impact on visibility.

“Long information” does not mean “public opinion is visible”

The article states that after Xi arrived in the United States, the information was not difficult to find, and even a large number of intensive reports were reported, but that the main visible elements were official media, government agencies and certified accounts. The SMS has been able to find out that some of the targeted searches of the Little Red Books have had little or no direct connection to the subject of the visit to the United States. Some official posts are closed or restricted.

This phenomenon is different from “no reports”. It is closer to an information structure: official narratives are highly visible, while public attitudes are difficult to observe directly from open platforms. It was also mentioned among interviewees that topics involving the highest leaders are not publicly posted, even if they are privately presented.

All silences cannot be simply attributed to censorship

The long-standing censorship, keyword control and account management of politically sensitive content on social platforms in China are facts that have been documented in many research institutions and in the public rules of the platform. However, in response to the visit, the material available was not sufficient to confirm how many posts had been deleted, which keywords had been restricted or whether there was a uniform interim review directive.

Thus, the more accurate conclusion is that official content occupied the main visible space during this major diplomatic event, while the visibility of the general user discussions was significantly lower; There is currently no uniform data to disaggregate how many of these are derived from direct content control, algorithm sequencing, self-censorship or insufficient public interest.

Official narratives and Platform ecology co-form the “visiting version” that the public sees

The visit was highly focused on protocol specifications, economic and trade outcomes and “strategic stability” in relations between the two countries. These elements are themselves part of the routine government communications on diplomatic activities, but when they occupy an overwhelming position in platform searches and ordinary discussions are relatively difficult to see, the information structure that the public has come to terms with is a single one.

For the outside world, it is not only the number of statistical media coverage that can be judged by how Chinese society views the visit, but also the limited commentary on social platforms. What is really to be seen is whether unofficial content will continue, whether dissenting opinions will be searched, whether the comment area will be open and whether the discussion will continue after the visit.