commander-in-tweets
Will Trump tweet in China, where Twitter is banned?
President Trump arrives in Beijing on Wednesday for a 36-hour stopover in a nation where his favorite pastime — Twitter — is banned. Americans who celebrated the president's 11 minutes of dead air last week might not find the silence they're craving, though: "Multiple officials familiar with the procedures in place but unauthorized to discuss them publicly said the president will, in fact, be able to tweet in China," The Associated Press writes.
Trump has sent at least two dozen tweets in the four days of his Asia trip so far, AP notes, and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang went on record to say that "you should have no reservations about Mr. President's ability to keep in touch with the outside" during his visit. That being said, even turning on a phone in China can be a risk for foreign leaders, since the nation's entire cellular network is vulnerable to spying. White House officials will instead supply secure phones as well as alternatives to hotel-provided WiFi.
China's state-run Global Times reports public interest in whether Trump will open an account on Sina Weibo, the country's Twitter alternative, during his visit. On the website, a hashtag — Trump's visit to China — is already trending.