Representative image. (Photo Credit: Unsplash)
The recent findings from Taiwan’s Information Environment Research Centre (IORG) suggest that users of the Chinese-language Douyin app, akin to TikTok, exhibit a higher inclination toward endorsing perspectives aligned with the communist Chinese government.
According to the study, among participants, 18.2% self-identified as Chinese-speaking TikTok users who typically engaged with the app about 4.4 days per week. This subgroup of respondents demonstrated a marked tendency, by at least a 10-percentage-point margin or greater, to support China’s political stances while harboring skepticism toward United States policies.
The prevailing sentiment among Chinese-speaking TikTok users strongly suggests a belief that the burgeoning ties between the Taiwanese government and the US provoke China and could potentially escalate into a conflict straddling the Taiwan Strait.
Moreover, these respondents hold the view that Taiwan’s economic well-being is intricately tied to the island nation’s pursuit of various trade agreements with Beijing.
QuestMobile, an analytics service based in Beijing, reported approximately 750 million monthly active users for Douyin, the Chinese-language equivalent of TikTok, as of May. Given Taiwan’s pivotal role in China’s information warfare, the escalating employment of Douyin is being perceived as a significant national security concern.
Notably, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cautioned about the threat posed by TikTok and Douyin to national security last year. Subsequently, TikTok was banned on government devices due to cybersecurity apprehensions.
China and Taiwan Tensions
Since their division in 1949 following the civil war, both sides have remained entangled in an enduring conflict. While China asserts Taiwan as an integral part of its territory, the island nation and its populace have consistently rejected Beijing’s authority.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has unequivocally expressed its intention to assert control over Taiwan, even if it requires the use of force. At the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) congress last year, Xi emphasized that the issue of Taiwan was solely the concern of the Chinese people.
“The resolution of the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people themselves, to be decided by the Chinese people,” said Xi.
He added, “We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort. But, we will never promise to renounce the use of force. And we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.”
In the past 12 to 15 months, Beijing conducted military exercises surrounding the island, launched various missiles without specific targets, and repeatedly declared it a no-fly zone. These actions were aimed at stimulating the scenario of isolating Taiwan in preparation for a potential conflict.
(With agency inputs)
