Click to expand Image Rescue workers use drones to deliver supplies at Gyirong Port in the Xizang Autonomous Region, China, August 28, 2026. © 2026 Gongga Laisong/China News Service/VCG via AP Photo As people in Nepal and across the Chinese border in Tibet reel from horrific mudslides, the Chinese government has turned to censorship and control.On Weibo, which follows Beijing’s censorship demands, the Chinese social media platform prominently pinned a memorial hashtag (#向吉隆泥石流灾害遇难人员默哀) at the top of trending topics, alongside eight other disaster-related topics. The lead post featured a CCTV newscaster essentially reading a Politburo communique, during which President Xi Jinping reportedly suggested China's top leaders observe a minute of silence for the victims.Censorship and self-censorship are pervasive throughout China, particularly in Tibetan areas, as Human Rights Watch has long documented. People can be imprisoned for undermining national security simply by sharing information with the outside world. Foreigners, including journalists and independent investigators, are unable to enter without permission.The victims’ own voices are largely absent from the trending topics, which focus on the death toll, rescue operations, and the mechanics of the disaster. Three of the eight portray the police response positively, including, “the smile of a police officer at Gyirong Port moved netizens to tears.”When survivors do appear, they serve the official media narrative. Another trending topic features a video of police officers comforting a bereaved flood victim.Human Rights Watch has received reports that journalists in China have been barred from the disaster zone and from interviewing families; they must rely on official information narratives. Authorities have also punished at least 10 for “rumormongering” related to the disaster.Notably, official media videos and images rely on AI-generated materials purporting to show the likely origins of the mudslide. Meanwhile, the full original footage circulated globally—showing Gyirong Port on the Chinese side of the border overwhelmed by floodwater as people run for their lives—is being censored, according to international media.Information controls can make it harder for families to locate loved ones, and hamper understanding of the disaster and any future response. Authorities also tightly control freedoms of association and assembly.As with previous disasters, the choreography is familiar: restrict information, control the narrative, and praise the leadership’s resolve and rescue efforts. AI may polish the performance, but the script remains unchanged.