I agree that there is nothing wrong with people sincerely stating their pro-Chinese government views, even if they focus only on China-related topics in a way that makes them look like a sock puppet.

But that’s the moral hazard of being on the side of an entity that makes extensive use of astro-turfing. Its sincere supporters are more likely to be perceived as sock puppets.

There’s another discussion to be had about whether one should discount the opinions of those who live under a state of pervasive censorship, but that’s a lot more nuanced since we all have our own filter bubbles.