Twitter Closes Official Account of China's US Consulate After ‘Baby-Making Machines’ Tweet

Twitter has closed the official account of the China’s US Consulate for a tweet that defended the Beijing government’s strategies in the Xinjiang province, where authorities claim China is engaged in the mandatory sterilisation of minority Uighur women.

The Chinese Embassy account, @ChineseEmbinUS, took to Twitter posting a tweet this month that said that Uighur women were no longer “baby making machines,” citing a study reported by state-backed newspaper China Daily.

The tweet was dismissed by Twitter and taken over by a label affirming that it was no longer accessible. Although Twitter hides tweets that offend its rules, it requires account owners to delete such posts. The Chinese embassy’s account has posted no new tweets since January 9.

“We’ve taken action on the Tweet you referenced for violating our policy against dehumanisation, where it states: We prohibit the dehumanisation of a group of people based on their religion, caste, age, disability, serious disease, national origin, race, or ethnicity,” a Twitter spokesperson said onThursday.

The Chinese embassy in US did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. Twitter is blocked in China.

At a conference in Beijing, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the embassy was “dumbfounded” by the account seal, and said the embassy was attempting to straighten out “bogus reports and report linked to Xinjiang.” In tweets that are still clear on its US page, the Chinese Embassy has shared reports and infographics relating to population growth and its strategies in Xinjiang.