TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) recently warned citizens against installing Chinese social media apps such as Xiaohongshu (小紅書) and Douyin to protect personal and national security. Legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) also echoed these concerns, fearing that frequent use of these platforms, controlled by China, could influence perceptions.
Taiwanese band Mayday (五月天) sparked controversy by posting a video on Xiaohongshu after declaring, 'We are Chinese' during a concert in Beijing. This move raised suspicions among online users about encouraging Taiwanese youth to use Xiaohongshu.
Since President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) took office, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP, 中共) Publicity Department has politically maneuvered Taiwanese artists to repost 'return to the motherland' messages on Weibo. Additionally, Chinese officials hosted the '2024 Cross-Strait Youth Summit' (2024兩岸青年峰會) in Beijing on July 3, featuring Taiwanese artist Rainie Yang (楊丞琳) as a youth ambassador and inviting Kuomintang (國民黨) Vice Chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) to lead a delegation.
DPP legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) criticized these tactics, noting that China has refined its methods of influencing Taiwan. Lai Jui-lung urged government agencies to remind citizens of the potential dangers of using Xiaohongshu and advocated for developing local social media platforms to prevent China from monopolizing information channels.
