KUALA LUMPUR – China’s own microblogging platform Weibo has blocked the “Taiwan election” hashtag as millions on the island nation head to the polls today.
The hashtag has become one of the social media platform’s top trending topics as China continues its “unification” propaganda campaign in the lead up to Taiwan’s polling day.
If Weibo users search for “Taiwan election”, a notice pops up with the words “in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed”.
Although the hashtag was removed at 9.45am local time, users can still view posts on the topic.
When the polls opened this morning, “Taiwan election” had at least 163.2 million views.
There were mixed reactions from users, with some calling for the self-ruled island to return to the “motherland” while others hoped for better cross-strait ties.
While mainstream western media has dedicated coverage on the polls, there is minimal coverage by China’s state news agency Xinhua, state broadcaster CCTV, and People’s Daily, which is the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
Today’s vote will determine who among the three – Democratic Progressive Party’s and frontrunner Lai Ching-te (64), former police chief and New Taipei city mayor Hou Yu-ih (66), and Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je (64) – will be replacing Tsai Ing-wen as president.
Voters will also elect representatives to the 113-seat legislature.
Last night, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly met a senior Chinese official in Washington in a meeting on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
In recent years, China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan, stoking fears about a potential invasion.
China President Xi Jinping in his New Year’s address said the “unification” of Taiwan with China was “inevitable”. – January 13, 2024