Calling out the very few Chinese people on English platforms defending their country as shills is even more chilling than China calling everybody who mentions things like this spies and dissidents. In the west, it's also racially coded. It's also against a lot of forums' rules, including this one. It's an excuse not to engage on the merits, but to blanket dismiss.

> Please don't post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, brigading, foreign agents and the like. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about abuse, email [email protected] and we'll look at the data.

You should look through the comments of people who are constantly anti-China with the same vigilance; I'm sure you'll find 100x as many. Also, astroturfing is when corporations create activist organizations, not when somebody has an opinion you don't like, or when somebody believes their own government.