China’s social networking platform Xiaohongshu is highly suspected of being a united front tool, per Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairperson Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) this Thursday at a Legislature meeting. These comments follow Chinese professor Zhang Weiwei’s (張維為) remarks that it would be easier to govern Taiwan post-unification than it is Hong Kong because of young Taiwanese people’s fondness for Xiaohongshu.
Zhang is Fudan University’s international relations professor and China Institute director. Chiu noted that this is the first time a Chinese scholar has linked the platform with unification, raising concerns about the true purpose of the Xiaohongshu and Douyin platforms and urging Taiwanese people to be more vigilant when using the Chinese applications.
Chiu said schools should educate students about the potential effects of using the platforms and the associated risks, including how one’s personal data could be collected and used by Chinese authorities.
DPP Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said the MAC should strengthen its understanding of the social networking platforms and do more than just say the platforms are highly suspected of being used as united front tools. Chiu said the MAC has been actively discussing this issue with relevant authorities in Taiwan and that it has reached the point of necessary legal intervention.