Letters | TikTok ‘refugees’ are meeting the Chinese internet. Sparks may fly

Readers discuss the influx of foreign users on China’s RedNote, tech-military ties, selfish smokers, and a former Hong Kong chief executive’s office

Reading Time:3 minutes

A screen shows the app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, at the company headquarters in Shanghai on January 14. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:30am, 16 Jan 2025

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TikTok, the popular short-form video platform owned by China’s ByteDance, is facing a potential ban in the United States. Although TikTok might dodge an immediate bullet as US president-elect Donald Trump has indicated that the app is worth saving, internet traffic data shows that users are already flocking to alternatives.

China’s RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, became the most downloaded free app in the Apple store in the US this week, and has also been trending on Google.

At the same time, the new “immigrants”, who have identified themselves as TikTok “refugees” in their first posts on RedNote, are getting a warm welcome from Chinese users who are leaving comments in English.

Although it is unclear why the US move to ban TikTok is driving so many foreign users to RedNote, this unexpected development provides a precious opportunity for Chinese and foreign social media users to interact.

For a long time, the Great Firewall has prevented most Chinese internet users from communicating with foreigners as they are unable to access mainstream overseas social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram.