China Hits Back at Taiwan’s Lai Over Xiaohongshu and TikTok Crackdown

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday rejected Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te’s characterization of popular Chinese social media platforms as a “national security crisis,” accusing his administration of attempting to suppress cross-strait cultural connections among young people.

At a regular press conference in Beijing, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian responded to Lai’s recent remarks that platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and TikTok were eroding Taiwan’s democratic will by exposing youth to content that paints China in a positive light. Zhu countered that mainland Chinese are “not just ‘good people’ to Taiwanese compatriots — they are relatives and family,” as reported by Xinhua News.

The Exchange

The dispute began on May 30, when Lai addressed students at the “2026 Presidential Youth Forum” organized by Business Today. During the event, students from Kang Chiao International School presented a proposal arguing that Chinese social media algorithms were designed to “obscure true history” and weaken democratic consciousness among Taiwanese youth.

Lai, visibly impressed by the students’ analysis, told the forum that TikTok and Xiaohongshu had “already reached a national security crisis level for Taiwan’s younger generation.” He warned that “over time, Taiwan may lose its will to defend democracy and will view ‘China’ as a good person,” and directed the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture to address the issue.

Beijing’s Response

Zhu Fenglian rejected this framing, describing Chinese social media platforms as tools for positive cultural exchange. She noted that Taiwanese youth increasingly use these apps “because they can enjoy more life experiences and opportunities for free expression.”

Painting a picture of cross-strait warmth, Zhu described how Taiwanese users share food and travel content and receive enthusiastic responses from mainland users, how those seeking family connections find help, and how learners access tutorials and remote guidance. “All the warm moments of connection are a two-way journey created and shared by netizens on both sides of the strait,” she said, as reported by Guancha.

Broader App Crackdown

The exchange comes amid a wider Taiwanese government push against mainland-developed applications. Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior had already imposed a one-year ban on Xiaohongshu, citing “fraud concerns.” Separately, the Lai administration warned about four other mainland apps — Gaode Maps, Bilibili, iQiyi, and BIMOBIMO — claiming they could pose risks of behavioral monitoring and data extraction.

Zhu Fenglian addressed these concerns as well, telling reporters that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities’ “slandering of mainland technology products and applications has reached an anti-technology and anti-era level.” She argued this approach “will only cause more and more Taiwanese people to feel disgusted and reject them.”

Analysis

The clash reveals two fundamentally incompatible narratives. From Taipei’s perspective, Chinese social media platforms represent a form of “algorithmic warfare” that systematically shapes youth perceptions, undermining democratic consciousness. From Beijing’s perspective, these are harmless tools for cultural exchange that Taiwanese youth use voluntarily because of their superior user experience.

Zhu’s response employed notably warm and familial language — “relatives and family,” “two-way journey” — to contrast with what she characterized as Lai’s fear-mongering. She asserted that “no matter how hard the Lai administration tries to undermine cross-strait exchanges and integration, it will not succeed. Instead, the more they try to ban these platforms, the more popular they will become.”

What’s Next

Lai has directed Taiwan’s education and culture ministries to develop countermeasures, though specific actions remain unclear. The Kang Chiao students’ proposal, which Lai praised, advocated for an educational rather than purely regulatory approach — building “antibodies” against algorithmic influence through argumentation-based teaching. Whether TikTok itself will face a formal ban similar to Xiaohongshu’s one-year prohibition remains an open question, as reported by i-meihua.com.

The debate highlights an ongoing struggle for influence in the information space, with both sides recognizing the critical importance of shaping youth perceptions across the strait.