TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) on Thursday (Aug. 29) warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly used Taiwanese influencers to promote its narrative, emphasizing its close monitoring of this trend, highlighting the growing concern over information warfare.
MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) cautioned that although influencers are invited to China to see tourist spots, they do not witness the true lives of local residents. This statement underscores the potential for misleading portrayals of life in China through curated influencer content.
In June, influencer Potter King (波特王) revealed that the CCP might be engaging in cultural propaganda targeting Taiwan. He noted that the CCP invited 10 groups of Taiwanese influencers to China in late July to create travel videos, raising alarms about the intent behind these trips.
Meanwhile, a million-subscriber YouTube channel, "Ariel's Travel Vlog" (欸你這週要幹嘛) also faced scrutiny after sharing clips from a trip to Xinjiang (新疆) on social media. Although she later clarified that she was not among the invited influencers, the incident sparked significant debate about the role of social media influencers in cross-strait relations.
The MAC's recent statements and the controversies surrounding influencers like Potter King and Ariel's Travel Vlog highlight the complex dynamics of information and influence between Taiwan and China.
