The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is training social media influencers to promote “united front” work against Taiwan, a government source said on Monday.
The CCP has started offering free influencer training classes in Fujian Province’s Pingtan, which would teach young Taiwanese how to livestream on video platforms such as Douyin (抖音) — turning them into “seeds” for “united front” campaigns, a Taiwanese government official said, who declined to be named.
This is on top of trying to entice Taiwanese to participate in “united front” operations through half-priced cross-strait tour groups, the official said.
Photo: Reuters
The CCP is increasingly focusing its efforts on younger Taiwanese, especially Internet celebrities, they said, citing China’s inviting of several Taiwanese influencers to produce content in Xinjiang and the promotion of youth exchanges in China’s Zhejiang Province as examples.
The influencer training classes in Xiamen and Fujian have about 30 participants each, with some Taiwanese reportedly attending as well, the source said.
The courses are free, participants only pay for their own travel and there are no qualifying restrictions, the source added.
The training focuses on Douyin first, then the CCP assigns people specific assignments, they said, adding that the Taiwanese influencers involved are mostly lesser-known amateurs.
Pingtan serves as the CCP’s base for “united front” work targeting Taiwan, Taiwan Association of University Professors chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said.
China has so far been unsuccessful in developing Pingtan as a link to attract Taiwanese businesses and has transitioned to using it for operations targeting young people, Chen said.
As many Taiwanese young people dream of becoming influencers, the CCP has tried to capitalize on the trend by training them to be pro-China, Chen said.
If they follow instructions and create the kind of content the CCP wants, they can receive significant financial “donations,” but if they fail to comply or speak out on sensitive issues, they risk being banned from China or prosecuted under China’s national security regulations, he said.
Young people interested in pursuing this kind of opportunity should be aware of the risks involved, Chen said.
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