Messenger app WeChat is seen among U.S. and China flags
social app is more than just a simple chat tool for many chinese around the world, especially the most important tool for keeping in touch with relatives and friends mainland in china, for reasons such as ease of use, online payment, or where the Time line is located.
That is why the U.S. President Trump recently announced an executive order to suspend U.S. companies from trading with social app ""dropped a shock bullet in social app overseas user circle. Many people were shocked and overwhelmed, but support was expressed.
Some Chinese in the United States posted "social app should not be banned" on the White House petition website, but another group of Chinese who supported the ban and TikTok collected tens of thousands of signatures petition, both sides. The petition writing in support of the social app ban says that social app is a tool for "infiltration" and "brainwashing "、"threat" of Chinese Americans, and that payments also harm the interests of American banks.
Tools to contact family and friends
"social app has become an irreplaceable tool for Chinese speakers, no matter where you are in the world ," Shanghai resident Rachel told The British Broadcasting Corporation. "
Tencent's social app platform has hundreds of millions of users and features social, shopping, games and even dating couples. Certainly, the social app also has not the simple side, is also considered to be one of the important links in the Chinese surveillance network.
Wuhan doctors Li Wenliang issued a new crown warning to their colleagues in December last year and were then admonished by local police. The research organization citizen Laboratory (Citizen Lab) in Toronto, Canada, also found that information on Coronavirus was social app reviewed.
Some experts point out that the success of social app is partly due to the ban on the same type of mobile phone application WhatsApp、Instagram in China.
Under Trump executive order, he labeled social app a big threat, of u.s. national security, accusing it of collecting "massive" user data to threat american privacy. social app parent, tencent, is required to sell the app by mid-september or be banned in the u.s.
social app is considered a prominent example of technological innovation in China, and many Chinese even regard the US ban as an attack. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to Trump President's executive order, accused the United States of using national security as a cover for hegemonism.
The Chinese community in the United States is generally shocked by the social app ban, worried not only about breaking ties with relatives and friends, but also about its significance to Chinese and American relationship.
"Unwelcome Signals"
A 21-year-old Jennie is a junior at the University of California. She learned the social app ban while she was brushing social app.
"At first I didn't believe it was true, I thought it was some kind of gossip ," she said to The British Broadcasting Corporation. "I felt very angry when I found out it was a solid message. "
Jennie spend about 4 hours a day brushing social app, communicating with friends from China and the United States in social app, and reading public articles on the platform.
She also had a public name until it was deleted two years ago. On the Six four anniversary, Jennie sent a memorial to the public. Not only was the article quickly deleted, but her entire public name disappeared.
She said she was "very worried" social app would hand her information over to China government, but also strongly opposed the US ban on the app.
"That's what China does, censoring and banning words. "She believes that social app should be controlled in other ways than by blocking its threat.
smart phone with the icons for the social networking apps WeChat and others
"I wanted to study in America because it was open, but it made me feel a little disillusioned ," Jennie said.
There is also widespread frustration among Chinese immigrants in the United States.
"I used to think the United States was tolerant ," said Miss Song, who lives in California, who believes that Washington move sends a" welcome signal "to Chinese immigrants ".
A 30-year-old Miss Song, who usually takes care of her children at home and uses social app to keep in touch with her Chinese parents, worried after hearing about the U.S. ban.
However, Miss Song expressed cautious optimism about the prospects. "A very vague definition of the ban, I think it may be difficult to completely ban it social app ,"" she said ." I'm still watching. "
She said she might use Virtual Private Network getting over the wall if the U.S. did disable social app,. "getting over the wall ,'s ironic when it comes to America. "
The executive order to block social app is the latest sign of a further decline in relationship between China and the United States. Although Miss Song is not very worried about the ban itself, what makes her more worried is what it means for her future in the United States.
The U.S. new crown crisis continues and the presidential election is close, and she believes Trump government is trying to divert public attention from the rise death new crown cases and the decline in election polls.
"Otherwise, why would Trump now focus on blocking the app? of China "
social app "fully integrated into everyday life
Among Chinese returnees, there are concerns about social app bans. Rachel lived in the United States for ten years and now lives in Shanghai. social app have "fully integrated" people's daily lives, she said.
In mainland China, from residential areas to corporate buildings where people work, people are required to show healthy green codes to allow them in and out.
"If you live in China and you don't have social app and Alipay, it's almost impossible ," she said ." If you buy a bottle of milk, you open the social app payment or Alipay to sweep the QR code ." Many merchants no longer accept cash payments.
At the same time, social app is also used as an anti-epidemic tool in China.
"If I walk into a mall, the security guard will ask me to show my health code ," Rachel said ." If it's green code, that means you have n' t been to any high-risk area in the past 14 days, you can enter the mall. If it is yellow or red, it will be rejected. "
Trump executive order has little impact on Rachel daily life in China, but her contact with her friends in the United States will become more difficult. She said she might use Virtual Private Network getting over the wall, chat tools banned in China.
"It's sad that things are going this way ," Rachel said ." I can understand the positions on both sides. Both societies have good and bad. I want to be neutral, but it's getting harder and harder now. "
