Hong Kong protests become flashpoint in information war between China and US
- Twitter and Facebook suspend accounts on their platforms they allege are part of state-backed disinformation campaign on events in the city
- Chinese foreign ministry hits back at Twitter’s move to stop accepting advertising from state-run media outlets
The San Francisco-based company also announced, in a separate statement, that it would no longer accept advertising dollars from state-controlled media outlets.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang hit back at that move, saying it was legitimate for media to engage with overseas audiences through social media. “I don’t know why some companies or individuals are so vehemently opposed to this, maybe it’s because what they did touched on sore points,” he said.
While China and the US remain locked in a protracted trade battle, both sides are also engaging in an intense information war trying to shape public opinion to their advantage. US President Donald Trump, for instance, has frequently used Twitter to accuse Beijing of backtracking on trade commitments despite repeated denials by the Chinese side. Earlier this week, a tweet by Trump urging President Xi Jinping to meet Hong Kong protesters was dismissed by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who said Trump should honour his own words instead.
