AUSTRALIA PM MORRISON LOSES CONTROL OF WECHAT CHINESE ACCOUNT AS ELECTION LOOMS
Photo Credit: Reuters
A little-known Chinese technology company that took over a WeChat social media account set up for Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday it wanted to buy an account with a large fanbase in Australia, and was unaware it was his.
Australian politicians said Morrison's office lost access to the account on the platform, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), several months ago. The politicians claimed the move represented censorship amid growing diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing with a national election to be held in Australia by May.
The account, which bore Morrison's photograph and posted information on his policies in Mandarin targeted at Australian voters of Chinese ethnic origin, had 76,000 followers.