FACT Verify: Did The Washington Write-up Publish ARTICLES About China ‘Forcing’ New Trees To Exist?

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a headline from The Washington Post that reads, “China is forcing hundreds of millions of new trees to exist every year.”

Verdict: False 

The image is digitally fabricated. A spokesperson for The Washington Post confirmed that the screen grab is fake.

Fact Check:

The Facebook post features a screen grab of what appears to be an article from The Washington Post titled “China is forcing hundreds of millions of new trees to exist every year.” The image includes a photo of a forest. “How is this for ‘Western’ propaganda lunacy,” reads part of the post’s caption. 

Another iteration of the post was shared on Twitter. “The plight of the oppressed trees in #China,” its caption reads. “Our day wouldn’t be complete without another foolish headline from WP that we can lampoon all day.”

The screenshot is digitally fabricated. The article does not appear on The Washington Post’s website, or on the news outlet’s verified Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts.

“The Post did not run a story with that headline,” Naseem Amini, a spokesperson for The Washington Post, told Check Your Fact via email. (RELATED: Does China Produce 90% Of Global Carbon Emissions?)

While there is no evidence The Washington Post published such an article, China did pledge last year to plant around 36,000 square kilometers of trees by 2025 to combat climate change and protect natural habitats, according to Reuters.

This is not the first time misinformation has been spread about China. Last year, Check Your Fact debunked a claim that a viral video depicted the launch of China’s “artificial sun.” In reality, the footage showed a U.S. rocket launch.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases