New Delhi:
India has blocked the X (formerly Twitter) account of Global Times and Xinhua news agency, Chinese state-run media outlets, over its publication of what the Centre described as “disinformation” concerning Operation Sindoor, a counter-terrorist operation conducted by the army targeting cross-border terrorist infrastructure.
Global Times is an English tabloid newspaper under the Chinese Communist Party-owned People’s Daily, while Xinhua is the official news agency of China.
The move followed a public rebuke issued by the Indian Embassy in Beijing earlier this week, warning Global Times over its coverage of the military operation. In a direct post on X, the Embassy stated: “Dear @globaltimesnews, we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of disinformation.”
In a follow-up message, the Embassy elaborated that multiple social media accounts sympathetic to Pakistan had been circulating unsubstantiated claims related to the alleged losses suffered by the Indian armed forces.
(1/n) Dear @globaltimesnews , we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of dis-information. https://t.co/xMvN6hmrhe
— India in China (@EOIBeijing) May 7, 2025
“Several pro-Pakistan handles are spreading baseless claims in the context of #OperationSindoor, attempting to mislead the public. When media outlets share such information without verifying sources, it reflects a serious lapse in responsibility and journalistic ethics,” the Embassy’s post said.
The official X account of Global Times now reads: “Account Withheld. @globaltimesnews has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check Unit has been actively flagging misinformation since hostilities intensified. Several misleading visuals and narratives were traced to recycled or doctored content, many with origins in older events or fabricated entirely.
Earlier in the day, India issued a statement condemning China’s renewed attempts to assert territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
“We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated on Wednesday. “Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory, has often released maps with several places within the northeastern state renamed. In 2024, China released a list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh, which India categorically rejected.
