It's not.

Tankies like to argue that comparing Xi Xiping to Winnie the Pooh is racist because Winnie the Pooh is that off orange-yellow colour, and it's easy to pretend racism starts and ends at vague commentary about skin colour and not, you know, power structures and oppression.

But it's an argument of convinience, brought to you by the same people who scream "ReAd ThEoRy!!" when obscure, specific and often misunderstood academic understandings of complex political systems are more useful to their mental gymnastics.

What actually matters is that it upsets a dictator of one of the most powerful countries of the world. And fuck that guy in particular.