Wang Sicong

 
Wang Sicong, son of Chinese tycoon and founder of Dalian Wanda Group Wang Jianlin and an active internet influencer, has been banned from posting on China’s Twitter-like social platform Weibo on Tuesday for “violation of related laws and regulations,” following his controversial remarks on Weibo about Chinese herbal medicine Lianhua Qingwen. The comments have since been deleted.   

The Global Times on Tuesday tried to browse Wang’s Weibo account, but found he had been banned from publishing posts. 

Weibo said he was banned for “violation of related laws and regulations,” but did not explain which specific law or regulation he violated. 

The latest post that can be seen on Wang’s account is a retweet on April 14 of a post denying that the World Health Organization (WHO) had ever recommended the medicine as a treatment for COVID-19. The post also raised doubts about the efficacy of Lianhua Qingwen, claiming that its producer Yiling Pharmaceutical should come under scrutiny from related authorities.  

On the same day, Wang also said on Weibo that the China Securities Regulatory Commission should launch a strict investigation into Yiling Pharmaceutical. But he reportedly deleted the comment about an hour after releasing it. 

Lianhua Qingwen has been widely used to treat COVID-19 patients in China and is currently being distributed to almost every household in Shanghai.

Despite the deletion, Wang’s remarks caused a backlash against the Shijiazhuang-based Yiling Pharmaceutical, leading to a nearly 15-billion-yuan fall in the company’s market value as of Tuesday. 

Being the son of a prominent tycoon, Wang Sicong has always drawn a lot of attention for his comments that challenge the prevailing social orthodoxy. 

He was also famous for being the so-called “discipline inspection committee” of the Chinese entertainment industry as he once revealed some gossip and wrongdoing in the industry. 

A screenshot went viral on China’s social media on Tuesday, which was reportedly from Wang’s WeChat account. It showed Wang allegedly complaining about repeated nucleic acid testing during the nationwide flare-ups.