TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An anchor on Chinese state-run station CCTV 4 was spotted wearing clothing matching the colors of the Ukrainian flag on Monday (March 1) despite reporting that blamed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on NATO.
Since the start of Russia's assault on Ukraine last week, China has walked a tightrope between the two sides. It has claimed that it respects the sovereignty of all nations, including Ukraine, while opposing sanctions on Russia and trying to pin the blame for the war on NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe.
In an attempt to place further blame for the war on NATO, CCTV 4 on Monday broadcast an episode titled "Backtracking on its word, NATO's eastward expansion leaves Russia with 'no room to retreat.'"
However, the anchor presenting the report was wearing a bright yellow blouse and a blue blazer, strikingly similar to the colors of the Ukrainian flag and a noticeable departure from the typically drab outfits worn by CCTV anchors. A Chinese netizen quickly captured a screenshot of the anchor's attire and shared it on Chinese social media, writing, "This kind of clothing at this time shouldn't be a coincidence."
The screenshot soon made its way to Reddit, where many Western netizens also said they believe it was no coincidence and that the news host was rebelling against censors. Some joked that her social credit score would plunge or that she would be imprisoned.
Some Reddit users pointed out that such a color combination is rare in clothing, but skeptics suggested the colors in the screenshot had been exaggerated. Others argued that given the highly restrictive nature of state-run media, the colors of the outfit were just happenstance and it was probably not a deliberate attempt by the host or state-run media to support Ukraine.
In the original video of the broadcast, the jacket appears to be more of a teal color, but the true hues are hard to determine since the anchor is presented in low lighting compared to other broadcasters that day.
(Reddit screenshot)
