(Bloomberg) — President Xi Jinping has touted people exchanges as the foundation of healthy US ties. A flood of TikTok “refugees” to Chinese app Xiaohongshu may test his limit for such unscripted interactions.
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After the US Supreme Court signaled it was likely to uphold a law banning the popular TikTok social media app, a reported 700,000 new users flooded onto a platform previously little-known overseas. Their embrace of another Chinese destination represented an act of rebellion: The US government claims TikTok’s origins give it ties to the government in Beijing that endanger national security.
“TikTok is getting banned in the United States. I heard we were all mobbin’ over here to show Uncle Sam how bratty we can be,” wrote a user named Sierra on Tuesday, in her inaugural post on Xiaohongshu.
By Thursday morning, the Chinese app — now known in the US as RedNote — was flooded with English-language posts. Domestic users suffering from falling wages asked Americans about their salaries, while the newcomers wondered whether Chinese students also needed to pledge allegiance to their flag.
Some Chinese users mocked the growing suspicion toward Beijing in Washington, referring to themselves as “Chinese spy friends.” Others urged the new arrivals not to behave like colonists and be respectful.
The interactions, while mostly on everyday topics, were remarkable for opening a rare portal of open communication between citizens of the world’s largest economies. China has banned American social media platforms such as X, Gmail and Facebook, and there isn’t normally a large presence of foreigners on its domestic platforms.
Some in China welcomed the development. “This is a truly historic opportunity with immeasurable value,” Dong Yu, who previously worked for China’s top economic policymaking body, wrote on Weibo. If used well, it could help China gain an upper hand in the international arena of public opinion, he added.
President Joe Biden’s campaign to limit China’s access to high-tech chips over national security fears, and Beijing’s territorial claims over self-ruled Taiwan, have led to a deep chill in bilateral ties that’s been reflected in a collapse in people exchanges. American visitors to Beijing last year were still down 44% on pre-pandemic levels.
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China’s Great Firewall blocks domestic access to many foreign websites, keeping a cloak of secrecy around American perspectives. But this week’s interactions revealed a desire on both sides to learn about the world’s other superpower, as censors trained in policing Chinese key words took a back seat — at least for now.
“In large part due to the firewall, we’ve never before seen Chinese and American users mingling at scale,” said Tom Nunlist, associate director of the tech practice at consultancy Trivium China. “Many are asking if the Chinese government will allow this to persist — but it is almost as big a question with the US government.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun described people’s use of different social media platforms as a “personal choice,” when asked about the rush of Americans to Xiaohongshu on Thursday at a regular briefing in Beijing. “China always supports and encourages stronger people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries,” he added.
History paints a more complicated picture. When American audio app Clubhouse exploded in 2021, thousands joined discussions on contentious subjects such as Taiwan and Xinjiang initially undisturbed by Beijing’s censors. Within days, users reported being unable to access to the app, leaving it available only to those illegally using virtual private networks.
It didn’t take long for TikTok refugees to encounter Chinese censorship. One account that’s based in the US and started posting Tuesday said one of their messages appeared to have been taken down. “HELP!!! What does this mean?!?!?!” the person asked, with a screen recording showing the platform reviewing her posts. The user didn’t share the nature of their original writings.
Little Red Book
Xiaohongshu is considered one of the more striking successes in the Chinese internet space. While its name literally translates into Little Red Book, the company has consistently stressed it bears no relation to Mao Zedong’s famous tome of quotations.
Its biggest shareholders are in talks to sell shares at a valuation of at least at least $20 billion, drawing interest from Tencent Holdings Ltd. and other big names, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
Started in 2013 in Shanghai by Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao, the app shares many of the same national security problems the US officials complain about with TikTok. American authorities are concerned the government in Beijing can demand access to the troves of personal data on American citizens collected by Chinese-owned companies, and use their influence to sway elections.
For now, the foreign arrivals appear to be treading with caution. “Is it ok for us to be gay on here?” asked one American, apparently mindful of the Communist Party’s crackdown on LGBTQ rights. Chinese users advised their new American friends to steer clear of politics.
Joining the platform from outside China remains possible with a foreign phone number, according to Rich Bishop, chief executive officer of AppInChina, a publisher of international apps in the Chinese market. Changing those requirements could be one way for officials in Beijing to limit the onslaught of overseas voices. Xiaohongshu could also decide to launch a version of its app dedicated to foreign audiences.
The next few days will likely give clues of how Beijing intends to react to what is essentially a soft power win days before Trump takes office.
“American TikTok refugees are somewhat analogous to Chinese Darien Gap refugees crossing into the United States,” said Diana Fu, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, referring to migrants who use the Panama land bridge to migrate to the US.
“Both TikTok refugees and Darien Gap walkers are disaffected by their own country’s domestic politics,” she added. “Both are voting with their feet, whether physical or virtual.”
–With assistance from Jing Li.
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