Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' decision to impose a one-year ban on the popular social media app Rednote is a move which has "trampled on democracy and undermined the freedom" of people in Taiwan, a central government official said Wednesday.
At a regular press conference, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the ban has punctured the information "echo chamber" deliberately constructed by the DPP authorities, adding that it has countered their smear campaign to vilify the mainland while exposing their fears and anxieties.
The Shanghai-headquartered Rednote -- also known as Xiaohongshu -- is a popular social media platform among Chinese-speaking communities. The majority of its users seek tips on fashion, beauty, travel, and other parts of everyday life.
The app has more than 3 million users in China's Taiwan region, about 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.
The DPP has moved ban the platform, citing so-called security concerns and rising cases of online fraud. Chen said that the ban has deprived Taiwan people -- especially the younger generation -- of their right to access information and their freedom to use social media platforms, and has seriously harmed the livelihoods of those on the island who depend on the app for their income.
"From blocking shopping platforms and video streaming services to banning social media platforms, the DPP has created an artificial barrier -- anything commonly used by the Taiwan people must be banned, and anything favored by Taiwan youths must be blocked. As the saying goes, give a thief enough rope and he'll hang himself. Behaving unscrupulously will only backfire on the DPP authorities. Its move, which goes against the trend of the times, will not stop Taiwan people, especially the young ones, from learning about what is really going on in the mainland or the friendly interactions taking place across the Taiwan Strait," Chen said.
Rednote ban undermines freedom, harms interests of Taiwan people: spokesman
