I think the whole thing is a hall of mirrors. On the one hand, the BBC is hardly impartial. But nationalist fervor has very clearly been stoked by the Chinese

I think the whole thing is a hall of mirrors. On the one hand, the BBC is hardly impartial. But nationalist fervor has very clearly been stoked by the Chinese government in recent years, and they appear to be on a deliberate collision course. I this case, I suspect the Chinese government let the trolls loose online to stoke nationalist feeling, and then officially reign them in, to appear reasonable. It seems to be a new cold war, and both sides are propagandizing their populations, though China appear to me to be more blatant about it.