It becomes racist if you claim that all Chinese people are Winnie the Pooh. Xi isn’t depicted as Winnie the Pooh because of his ethnicity (that makes no sense, given that Chinese people created the meme); he’s depicted as Winnie the Pooh to satirise his public image as a serious figure.
The censorship just proves the meme is correct, hence its usage, that a serious figure is so fragile he can’t stand being portrayed as a lovable cartoon bear.
It becomes racist if you claim that all Chinese people are Winnie the Pooh. Xi isn’t depicted as Winnie the Pooh because of his ethnicity (that makes no sense, given that Chinese people created the meme); he’s depicted as Winnie the Pooh to satirise his public image as a serious figure.
The censorship just proves the meme is correct, hence its usage, that a serious figure is so fragile he can’t stand being portrayed as a lovable cartoon bear.