Beijing ( CNN ) -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg 's latest charm offensive with China has generated decidedly mixed reviews . Last week , he hosted a senior Chinese official whose office is responsible for banning Facebook -- along with other popular sites like YouTube and Twitter -- in China . In photos posted on China.com.cn , a government-run web portal , top Internet regulator Lu Wei is seen seated in Zuckerberg 's chair at Facebook 's California campus while holding a book with Chinese President Xi Jinping 's portrait adorning its cover . The accompanying text explains that , when Lu found a copy of `` Xi Jinping : The Governance of China '' on Zuckerberg 's desk , the young billionaire told the smiling Communist Party cadre in Mandarin : . `` I also bought this book for my colleagues -- I want them to understand socialism with Chinese characteristics . '' That quote has quickly gone viral online , along with a propaganda poster-style image that features Zuckerberg in a Chinese soldier 's uniform clutching Xi 's book to his chest . Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment . Kowtowing ? Chinese internet users have reacted with as much surprise and amusement as ridicule and disapproval . Some sound sympathetic to Zuckerberg 's strong desire to crack China 's Internet market , the world 's largest and a gaping hole in Facebook 's global reach . `` He 's a smart guy -- to conquer that market means to cooperate with the Chinese government and make money together , '' wrote one Twitter user . Others , however , feel betrayed by Zuckerberg 's apparent kowtowing to Beijing authorities , who have built one of the world 's most extensive Internet filtering and censorship systems to restrict speech and crush dissent online . `` Even if you have read all the books by Xi or ( late paramount leaders ) Deng Xiaoping or Mao Zedong , it 's not going to help you in China , '' said another commenter . `` You 're already late in the game and then there is censorship -- it would make more sense for you to work with Google to end Internet censorship . '' China smitten ? China 's state media has been smitten with Zuckerberg since his October visit to Beijing , where he wowed students at an elite university by answering their questions in accented but fluent Mandarin . To rousing applause , the 30-year-old Internet entrepreneur said he took on the challenge of studying Mandarin to communicate with his wife 's family and to better appreciate the Chinese culture . He also traded his signature hoodie-and-jeans look for a suit and tie when he met Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Qishan -- one of seven men who effectively rule the country -- at a heavily guarded leadership compound just west of Tiananmen Square . `` Wang and Lu should be Zuckerberg 's sponsors for joining the Communist Party and Xi can grant his immediate approval for admission , '' tweeted Hu Jia , one of China 's most prominent political dissidents , upon learning the Facebook co-founder 's remarks to Lu about Xi 's book . `` I once held up a sign that said 'regimes that block Facebook wo n't last long , ' '' he added . `` Now I 'm afraid Zuckerberg is making a deal or even forming an alliance with the enemy of the Internet . '' For Hu and others , no Facebook at all is preferable to a Facebook with Chinese characteristics .
Mark Zuckerberg hosts China 's Internet regulator at Facebook 's California campus . Lu Wei banned Facebook , Twitter and You Tube in China . He 's pictured sitting on Zuckerberg 's desk , with book written by Xi Jinping . Chinese netizens have reacted with surprise and ridicule .