China: Typhoon Barway's U-turn sparks 'weather weapon' conspiracy theories, met with ridicule

Typhoon Barway, after moving away from Taiwan, took an abrupt and unexpected turn, making landfall in China's eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. Chinese state media reported that preventative evacuations had moved over 1.7 million people in Zhejiang and neighboring provinces.

However, the storm's unusual path has fueled baseless conspiracy theories among some Chinese netizens. A widely circulated post on Chinese social media platforms accused the United States of secretly deploying "weather weapons" to steer the typhoon towards China, aiming to cause mass casualties. The post questioned the sudden northward turn of Barway, calling it "very unusual" and suggesting it was "not impossible" that weather weapons were involved.

This outlandish claim has sparked considerable discussion online, with many Taiwanese netizens mocking the theory. Comments on Taiwanese social media platforms ranged from sarcastic remarks about the "typhoon remote control" being in the hands of Taiwanese politicians to jokes about Taiwan possessing weather weapons. The discussion also referenced a period during former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's tenure when Taiwan experienced an unusually long stretch without a typhoon landfall, leading to similar internet memes about a "typhoon remote control."

The conspiracy theory taps into existing anti-U.S. sentiment and nationalist narratives within China. The notion of "weather warfare" has been a recurring theme in fringe online discussions, often blaming external forces for natural disasters. The Taiwanese reactions, meanwhile, highlight a starkly different and often humorous take on such claims, using the opportunity to engage in political satire.