The current debate over fake online news has one country feeling vindicated: China. For years, its controversial censorship system has been cracking down on so-called “online rumors,” and last week a state-controlled newspaper essentially told the U.S., “I told you so.”

“China’s crackdown on online rumors a few years ago was harshly condemned by the West,” wrote the Global Times, a newspaper in China. “Things changed really quickly, as the anxiety over internet management has been transferred to the U.S.”

To be sure, the two are very different.

In the U.S., it’s private citizens and internet companies that are questioning the role of fake news while acknowledging freedom of speech. In China, the government itself is arresting people as part of its concerted effort to maintain control over all corners of the internet.

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