Gov't monitoring rumored Chinese recruitment of Taiwanese influencers

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) The Executive Yuan on Thursday said it was aware of a reported campaign by China to recruit Taiwanese influencers to visit Xinjiang Province and promote a more positive narrative about Beijing's rule in the autonomous region.

"The relevant authorities have a grasp on [what is going on], though again we urge citizens and businesspeople to be aware of the risks of traveling to China," acting Cabinet spokesperson Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) said after being asked about the issue at a press briefing.

Such trips might not only affect one's personal reputation but also harm Taiwan's "national dignity," Hsieh said.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, meanwhile, said it was still looking into the issue, but warned that if the influencers had used Chinese government funds to undermine social order, disseminate false information or interfere in elections, they could be in violation of the Anti-Infiltration Act.

The government's response came after Taiwanese YouTuber Potter Wang (波特王) claimed in June that Beijing was inviting Taiwanese influencers on paid trips to create content in China, as a means of promoting "cultural unification."

The post prompted several YouTube stars who had recently visited China and published videos about it to deny that they had received payments.

In a social media post last week, Potter Wang said he had recently noticed a surge in content by Taiwanese influencers promoting Xinjiang.

The videos, he said, seem intended to drive the narrative that "foreign reports about concentration camps" in the province are "nonsense."

Many of the videos also repeat canned talking points about how safe the region is and how friendly its people are, he said.

The issue was also brought up during a forum hosted by US Taiwan Watch in Washington D.C. on Wednesday (local time), which focused on policy challenges currently facing Taiwan.

During the talk, Su Chiao-ning (蘇巧寧), an associate professor of communication, journalism and public relations at Oakland University, said Taiwan's government needs to do more to raise awareness about such alleged campaigns.

Such efforts not only serve as a defense for Beijing's rule over Xinjiang and "erasure" of its residents' language and culture but also constitute an attempt to manipulate public opinion in Taiwan, Su said.

In August 2022, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights issued a report finding that "serious human rights violations" were being committed against the Uyghur population and other predominantly Muslim communities.

The violations documented included abuse of people who had been detained or imprisoned, coercive family planning policies and possible forced sterilizations, and restrictions on cultural, linguistic and religious identity and expression, according to the report.