Working as a foreign correspondent for the paper, he covered both the
Bosnian War and the
Iraq War. After covering
Yugoslavia's break-up as a war correspondent, he came to admire strong Communist rule. Hu described the
Global Times as having two bosses, the government and the market. by Hu to conduct an "
astroturfing" campaign against Ai Weiwei in favor of the
Chinese government's criticism of Ai as a "maverick". Hu's 2013 book
On the Complexity of China collects some of his editorials written for the
Global Times. As part of his view of a "complicated China," Hu writes that while China's achievements should not be dismissed, its development is still uneven. He compared
Liu He's trip to Washington D.C. for negotiations to the
Hongmen Banquet. Amid the
2020–2021 China–India skirmishes, Indian news site
ThePrint called Hu Xijin "the
Arnab Goswami of China" and said that both of them are also "mirror opposites" because "neither acknowledges the truth on the ground because it doesn't suit their journalism". Hu stepped down as editor-in-chief of the
Global Times in December 2021. His departure, reportedly due to Beijing "strengthening the paper's political guidance", was (according to
The Diplomat) connected to efforts of toning down overly confrontational
wolf warrior rhetoric, following a deterioration of China's international reputation and
CCP general secretary Xi Jinping calling for improvements in the country's international communication at a May 2021
CCP Politburo session. As of 2024, his Weibo account has 24.82 million followers. In November 2025, Hu complained about increasing
censorship in China. "Frisbee Hu" (), a nickname for Hu Xijin, arose from a joke that he
retrieves whatever the government throws at him.
The Guardian described Hu as "China's
troll king".
Commentary on 2019–20 Hong Kong protests During the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, Hu urged for direct shooting towards the protesters. He also advocated that the police should be waived from any responsibilities even if the protesters were fatally shot. Hu warned that China would bar drafters of the
Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, whose U.S. Senate sponsor is Florida Republican
Marco Rubio, from entering mainland China as well as
Hong Kong and
Macau after U.S. President Trump signed it into law in November 2019. Hu compared the protesters to "ISIS-like terrorists", and accused the U.S. of instigating the protests.
Taiwan Hu has supported an increase in hostility with Taiwan. In 2016, the
Global Times under Hu's leadership was reprimanded by the government for discussing the potential use of military force to take Taiwan. In October 2021, he said, "The people of Taiwan will not follow the
DPP and 'fight to the end.'" In December 2021, Hu described
Wang Leehom as "American Taiwanese", rather than Chinese, making a distinction between Taiwanese and Chinese. In July 2022, Hu warned of military retaliation if
Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, stating "I've conveyed the message: if the U.S. military sends fighter jets to escort Pelosi to Taiwan, then the move would take the vile nature of such a visit to another level, and would constitute aggression. Our fighter jets should deploy all obstructive tactics. If those are still ineffective, I think it is okay too to shoot down Pelosi's plane." On 12 November 2025, amidst the
China–Japan diplomatic crisis, Hu Xijin called Japanese Prime Minister
Sanae Takaichi, on X, an evil witch who had ignited a new round of mutual hatred between the Chinese and Japanese people. Hu also said on 17 November that the restoration of an
independent Ryukyu state was possible if China helped the Ryukyu people realize their right to self-determination and warned Japan against obstructing China's "sacred right and goal of national reunification". However, he later said on 25 November that state media used "harsh language that does not reflect the actual situation" when criticizing Takaichi and Japan and warned against "exaggerated" and "superficial" information. == Personal life ==