A renowned opera singer in China has reportedly been censored online regularly because he bears a striking resemblance to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Liu Keqing, 63, has seen his social media account on Chinese TikTok-like Douyin blocked by the authorities multiple times because he 'violates the leader's looks', according to various media reports.

China has been criticised for obsessively protecting President Xi's image as the country has previously banned Winnie the Pooh after internet users compared him to the lovable bear in memes.

The Chinese baritone, who lives in Berlin, has been sharing eccentric singing tutorials with his 41,000 followers on his current Douyin account since 2019.

Clips uploaded on Mr Liu's page show him giving a passionate opera performance while looking almost identical to the Chinese national leader.