Beijing (CNN Business) The burning question for millions of "Game of Thrones" fans in China on Monday: Is the US-China trade war now being fought in the battlefields of Westeros?

Tencent, the Chinese internet juggernaut whose video platform owns the streaming rights to the HBO series in the country, shocked viewers Monday morning when it announced a delay in posting the American show's eagerly anticipated finale "due to a media transmission problem."

The brief statement didn't give a new air date, and the company declined to provide further detail. HBO, which like CNN is owned by WarnerMedia, said in a statement that it "had no issue with content delivery."

"You would have to get further clarification from Tencent," HBO added.

Like "Thrones" enthusiasts elsewhere, Chinese fans religiously follow each episode and discuss plot twists in real time on social media. On Monday, their frustration and dismay abounded online, with many wondering aloud the connection between the escalating trade war and the missing last episode.