Earlier this month, authorities in China's western Xinjiang province were reported as banning 29 Islamic names, including 'Muhammad'.
A senior Chinese diplomat in Pakistan who adopted the name 'Muhammad' on his Twitter profile has appeared to drop the name days after authorities in China issued an order banning several Islamic names.
Zhao Lijian, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, was widely known on social media for adopting the name "Muhammad" on his Twitter profile, which until recently showed his name as 'Muhammad Lijian Zhao'. On Friday, his profile merely read 'Lijian Zhao'.
It is a common practice for Chinese in foreign countries to adopt a local name as a sign of both localising and expressing solidarity. But in Zhao's case, his choice of name given its religious meaning particularly resonated among many Pakistanis, and the diplomat enjoys wide following on social media.
He has more than 2 lakh Twitter followers and uses his account to often address concerns on Chinese investments in Pakistan, especially through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan.
