‘Into brain and the heart’: how China is using apps to woo Taiwan’s teenagers

Lifestyle and shopping apps are the latest weapons in Beijing’s information war against its neighbour

Ariel Lo spends a couple of hours most weeks sharing anime art and memes on Chinese apps, often chatting with friends in China in a Mandarin slightly different from the one she uses at home in Taiwan.

“People use English on Instagram, and for Chinese apps they use Chinese phrases. If I am talking to friends in China, I would use them,” Lo said as she picked up a bubble tea at a street market in central Taichung city.

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