Why was Pooh Bear the most censored viral post on the Chinese internet in 2015? Why did Chinese officials censor an art exhibition in Bangladesh? Since Xi Jinping took office in 2012, he has overseen a crackdown on free speech, targeting writers, journalists, artists and human rights lawyers. China ranks 176 countries out of 180 in the global Press Freedom index. Now Beijing’s influence is being seen beyond its borders, as it increasingly attempts to exert controls overseas and in the contested terrain of cyberspace.