China's Government Allegedly Recruited Taiwanese Influencers to Counter Xinjiang Human Rights Criticism

The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) allegedly recruited Taiwanese social media influencers to visit Xinjiang and produce content aimed at countering international criticism over its human rights abuses against the Uyghur population.

On September 3, US Taiwan Watch (美國台灣觀測站), a non-profit think tank and media creator focused on the relationship between the United States and Taiwan, hosted a panel discussion on challenges facing the Taiwanese government.

During the conference Su Ch’iao-ning (蘇巧寧), associate professor of the Department of Communications, Journalism and Public Relations at Oakland University, said that the trend of Taiwanese influencers making trips to Xinjiang appears to be a calculated effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the region and bolster the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

She argued that the promotion of Xinjiang as a “simple and beautiful” destination on social media platforms serves to legitimise the CCP's rule while obscuring serious human rights violations reported by international organisations.

Su warned that this trend is not merely about tourism, but it is part of a broader strategy to manipulate public opinion in Taiwan. The promotion of Xinjiang as a tourist destination aligns with the CCP's efforts to erase the cultural identity of the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities in the region.

The controversy began in June 2024, when Taiwanese YouTuber Potter Wang (波特王) alleged that 10 Taiwanese influencers had been invited to the PRC to make “positive” videos that promoted the regime's propaganda narratives.

Two months later, a new wave of Taiwanese influencer videos surfaced, but this time the travel destinations were no longer traditionally popular tourist spots such as Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu, but the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

On August 26, Potter Wang wrote in a Threads post: “Recently I've seen some videos praising Xinjiang, trying to claim that the reports in foreign media about the concentration camps are false. They also deliberately use phrases like ‘the people in Xinjiang are very friendly’ (新疆人很友善) and ‘it's very safe to come here’ (來這很安全), and so on.”

Over the past few months, several videos of Taiwanese people travelling to Xinjiang were posted on YouTube. Some of them were framed as attempts to rebut supposed misconceptions as well as the narratives spread by “foreign media” and “green media”.

The term “green media” refers to media that are sympathetic to or aligned with Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), whose party colour is green. The DPP staunchly opposes the Chinese Communist Party's plan to annex Taiwan and turn it into a Beijing-controlled “Special Administrative Region” like Hong Kong.

In May 2024, the YouTube channel “Ah Lien-lien from Taiwan” (台灣來的阿蓮蓮) posted a video titled: “Let’s take a look at what foreign media call the enslaved life of Xinjiang people” (實地來看看外媒所謂新疆人被奴役的生活).

Two Vloggers from the channel “Mighty Taiwanese living in mainland China” (威力台灣人在大陸生活) put out a video titled: “Foreign media and Taiwanese green media, what nonsense are you talking about? Taiwanese people visited Xinjiang on the weekend. So, where are the concentration camps they [the media] agree [exist]?” (外媒跟台灣綠媒你到底在胡說八道什麼|台灣人週末逛新疆,說好的集中營呢).

The YouTuber duo further described Xinjiang as “bustling, safe, beautiful and full of exotic customs” (熱鬧安全美麗充滿異國風情). 

YouTube channel “Xiaojie less than 160” (小杰不到一百六) posted: “‘Orange alert.’ Don’t travel to mainland China? A Taiwanese who just returned from Xinjiang truthfully shares [his experiences]” (「橙色警戒」別去大陸旅遊?剛從新疆回來的台灣人真實分享).

Another YouTuber named Kart (卡特) wrote: “‘Xinjiang’, the place Taiwanese dare not go … You don't know that Xinjiang looks like this …!” (台灣人不敢去的地方『新疆』你不知道的新疆原來長這樣....!). 

What all of these videos have in common is that they purport to dispel myths (often depicted as “foreign” and “green” fabrications) and reveal the “truth” about Xinjiang.

On August 26, Threads user @una_217 criticised the YouTube team “Hey, what are you doing this week?” (欸你這週要幹嘛?) for posting pictures of a trip to Xinjiang on social media, writing: “Renminbi really smell too good … You treat Taiwan people like fools and help the enemy spread propaganda. Unsubscribed!”

A member of the YouTube channel named Ariel replied to the comment: “I want to respond directly, so as not to cause time-consuming discussions. This time I simply travelled with good friends and said that I would take a vacation trip. Very casual, there was no specific purpose or arrangement. Plus, we have no plans to release any videos and did not receive any compensation.” 

Some netizens were not persuaded by Ariel's statement, pointing out that some member of her YouTube team referred to China as “mainland” (內地), and that they deleted an old post in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, which the CCP suppressed by force in 2020.

Whether YouTubers could go to Xinjiang and make critical videos, interview locals, or investigate the political situation is highly questionable, considering how the regime handles the issue of independent journalism.

Since 2012, the landscape for foreign journalists in the PRC has dramatically shifted, marked by a series of expulsions that reflect the government's tightening grip on media freedom. Under President Xi Jinping, who took office that year, the atmosphere for reporting has grown increasingly hostile.

In 2020, the PRC government expelled at least 17 foreign journalists, a significant surge compared to the previous seven years. This wave of expulsions, which included reporters from major outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, is part of a broader strategy to suppress critical coverage and maintain a tight narrative around the Communist Party's activities.

The situation has reached a point where some foreign media outlets, including The Washington Post, have no correspondents left in the PRC, while others operate under precarious short-term visas.

After the adoption of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in June 2020 and the subsequent crackdown on the city's civil rights and freedoms, the expulsion of journalists has also extended to the former British colony. A prominent case was that of New York Times journalist Chris Buckley, who in July 2020 was denied a work permit.

The CCP seeks to ban entry into the country to people who are known for being critical of the regime. Those who are allowed entry will thus promote an image in line with Xi Jinping’s principle that creative work should spread “positive energy”. It is unlikely that the regime would treat independent influencers any differently if they dared to speak freely about the country.

Beijing’s attitude towards bloggers and vloggers can be clearly seen in an article published in 2016 by The Global Times, a media outlet owned by the CCP Central Committee. The piece states:

“China's cyberspace authorities are launching a five-year, nationwide campaign to foster ‘good netizens’ who help spread ‘socialist core values’ and ‘positive energy’ online. Patriotic netizens who defend China and the government are expected to become an increasingly dominant force on China's blogosphere. The Central Committee of the China Communist Youth League (CCYL) recently invited 15 bloggers to its annual Youth Day symposium on May 4 in Beijing - as representatives of China's ‘good netizens.’

“The invited netizens included Liang Xingyang, a ‘patriotic Taoist priest’ who is known for his outspoken comments and articles on Weibo that defend the Chinese government when controversies occur, and Wufeng Jifeng, a singer and songwriter who writes patriotic pop songs and often repudiates negative comments about China's revolutionary history.

“The bloggers, along with other youngsters who have won awards for their contributions to online discourse, were offered a rare meet with a top official - Vice President Li Yuanchao - who encouraged them in a speech. Recognizing and honoring ‘role model’ netizens is part of China's latest effort to ‘clean up’ the online environment and boost ‘positive energy’ through a campaign called ‘Be a good Chinese netizen.’”

The article is a straightforward and candid description of the CCP's media strategy. All speech must be subordinated to the interests and narratives of the regime. 

The CCP seeks to influence public opinion not only domestically, but also abroad. On June 20, 2021, state-run China Daily announced the launch of the Edgar Snow Newsroom to “better tell the China story and the story of the Chinese Communist Party”. 

The newsroom, named after pro-CCP US journalist Edgar Snow, aimed to “give more platforms and opportunities to China Daily’s foreign journalists and our international friends for going to all parts of the country to more deeply understand the development and changes of China in the new era, for recording the wonderful China story and revealing a rich and varied, vivid and multidimensional image of China.”

A 2023 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed how the CCP actively cultivates and co-opts foreign influencers, who not only praise the PRC’s actual achievements, but also promote or defend the government's position on sensitive political issues, such as territorial disputes or human rights abuses.

On September 5, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) said in a press conference that the Taiwanese government is aware of the reported campaign by the PRC to recruit Taiwanese influencers for propaganda purposes and warned against travel to Xinjiang.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is currently probing allegations that certain influencers may be receiving funding from the PRC to spread disinformation aimed at destabilising Taiwan's society. Such actions could potentially breach the Anti-Infiltration Act.

Reports indicate that the PRC government has engaged in “a widespread and systematic attack against Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang” that include mass arbitrary detention, torture, disappearances, mass surveillance, cultural and religious persecution, forced labour, sexual violence, and violations of reproductive rights. Human Rights Watch and the United Nations described these violations as “crimes against humanity.”

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