Two prominent Chinese bloggers in exile, Wang Zhi'an and Li Ying, have raised concerns about Chinese police investigating their millions of followers on international social media platforms. Both known for posting uncensored Chinese news, they have warned their followers to take precautions such as unfollowing their accounts, changing their usernames, and avoiding Chinese-made phones. Li Ying, also known as Teacher Li, gained prominence for providing news about the White Paper protests in mainland China in 2022. His account on X, @whyyoutouzhele, now posts news and videos submitted by users, covering topics censored on the Chinese internet.

Li shared screenshots of private messages from followers claiming police interrogations and job loss. As a result, his X following dropped to 1.4 million. Similarly, Wang, with a million X subscribers and 1.2 million YouTube followers, advised his fans to unsubscribe. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed ignorance of the situation, stating it was not a diplomatic matter. Both Li and Wang did not respond to requests for comment.

Over the past decade, Beijing has cracked down on dissent on Chinese social media, leading to censorship, harassment, and police interrogations. Recently, Beijing has extended its reach to tracking non-Chinese platforms like Facebook, Telegram, and X. Leaked documents from I-Soon, a contractor linked to China's top policing agency, revealed tools used to surveil users on X and hack email inboxes.

Despite the risks, Li vowed to continue posting, urging followers to prioritize their safety. "You only want to understand what's happening, but the price is quite high," he said. Li's X following dropped to 1.4 million as of Monday afternoon. Li, Wang, and the Chinese foreign ministry have yet to respond to requests for comment.