US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene Photo: AFP

The US, which has always boasted itself as a "beacon of freedom," has repeatedly accused China of restricting the so-called "freedom of speech." Can Americans say whatever they want without any boundaries? They certainly cannot. Twitter's permanent suspension of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is the latest example.
Twitter on Sunday said it permanently suspended the personal account of Greene for "repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy." On Saturday, she tweeted falsely about "extremely high amounts of Covid vaccine deaths." 
Furthermore, on Wednesday she renewed calls for a "national divorce" between red and blue states, arguing that Americans who move to conservative states from California and New York should have a "cooling off" period before being allowed to vote. Many Twitter netizens said she was calling for a second civil war.
"Obviously, Greene's rhetoric on COVID-19 goes against the US' battle over the COVID-19 epidemic. Her advocacy for 'national divorce' will undermine the US' solidarity and cohesion. As a lawmaker, her inappropriate remarks will be more destructive compared to ordinary people, creating more domestic division, inciting populism, and bringing more instability. From the perspective of Washington, it is necessary for Twitter to ban her personal account." Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations from the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
After the deadly US Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, Twitter also suspended the personal account of former president Donald Trump for his repeated violations of the company's rules and risks including the "further incitement of violence."
"From Trump to Greene, the permanent ban on their personal Twitter account indicates that in the US, there is no absolute freedom of speech either. There are clear boundaries on freedom of speech. The voices must conform to laws and regulations and cannot impair national interests," Li said.
But the US has played the old trick of double standards on freedom of speech. Chinese social media platforms' suspension of some personal accounts, or the closure of some media outlets in Hong Kong such as the Apply Daily comes from the same considerations taken when Twitter banned Trump and Greene - their contents violated China's law and regulations and posed potential threats to national security, social stability and normal order.
Ironically, when banning these personal accounts, the US defends its actions with a legitimate explanation; while China adopts similar practices, Washington portrays them as "suppressing speech freedom," or committing "human rights violations." Applying double standards in such a way is despicable. 
Some US elites harbor the view that Greene was suspended for spreading factually incorrect and dangerous information, not a differing opinion, while China would suspend accounts for offering different opinion of any facts that go against the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s dictates. 
This is a biased view. All countries have their demands to defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and interests. But every country also has its own unique political system, social customs and culture. In this context, every country has its own understanding of what kinds of remarks would threaten social stability.
The US has become irrational and refused to realize the difference between China and itself. Washington tends to demonize and oppose every move of the CPC. This is nothing more than calling white black. Such behavior has hindered the US from mastering a clear picture of China.