RedNote Attracts TikTok Refugees Seeking New Platform
News Desk
Islamabad: Users of the Chinese social media app RedNote welcomed “TikTok refugees” from the United States with selfies and messages on Wednesday, as Beijing expressed support for stronger cultural ties with other nations in response to the sudden influx.
RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, has traditionally been a platform for lifestyle recommendations on topics ranging from beauty to food. Recently, however, it has unexpectedly become a channel for U.S.-China exchanges, with users sharing photos and discussing topics like pets, favorite foods, and their daily lives.
Not all users were thrilled with this development, with some expressing dissatisfaction about their platform being overtaken, and nationalist bloggers cautioning against American influence.
The wave of over 700,000 new users was driven by the looming threat of a U.S. ban on TikTok, which has 170 million American users, due to national security concerns.
On Wednesday, many Chinese users posted selfies and messages like “Welcome TikTok refugees” and eagerly responded to questions from U.S. users about Chinese dishes, tourist spots, and even China’s birth policies.
Among them was Jacob Hui, a translator in Hangzhou, who joined a live chat hosted by both Chinese and American influencers on the platform. He asked questions like what video games were popular in the U.S., noting that such opportunities to directly interact with Americans had been rare in the past.
Chinese state media also celebrated the trend, with state broadcaster CCTV reporting that TikTok users had found a “new home.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, when asked about it at a press briefing, said social media use is a “personal choice” and that China supports and encourages cultural exchanges and mutual understanding among all countries.
China has long controlled its cyberspace through the “Great Firewall” and blocked foreign social media platforms like Instagram and X.
Most Chinese social media platforms, including Weibo, require users to have a Chinese phone number, limiting access primarily to Chinese residents. In contrast, ByteDance restricts TikTok to non-Chinese users and runs a separate version for mainland China, known as Douyin.
RedNote, however, does not require a Chinese phone number and operates a single version of its app. The company did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on Wednesday.
In the past, other Western platforms like Clubhouse have seen a similar influx of Chinese mainland users before being blocked by Chinese censors.
Not Everyone Welcomes the Newcomers
The influx of foreign users has not been universally welcomed, with some Chinese users voicing dissatisfaction about the changing content of the platform. Nationalist bloggers also expressed concern.
Ren Yi, the Harvard-educated grandson of a former Chinese Communist leader and the author of the popular WeChat blog “Chairman Rabbit,” cautioned his followers about potential manipulation.
“U.S. propagandists can easily achieve their goals by following a simple routine – first, they flatter you to make you ‘lower your guard,’ and then subtly influence you by promoting their own agenda,” he wrote in an article published Wednesday morning, later deleted.
Liu Xingliang, an independent industry analyst based in Beijing, suggested that the surge of interest in RedNote from TikTok users would be short-lived.
He noted that while the current atmosphere was “very warm and joyful,” it was likely to be a temporary emotional response from U.S. users seeking an alternative to TikTok. Liu also pointed out that Xiaohongshu wasn’t fully prepared for foreign users, and the experience on the platform might not be ideal for them.
There were also signs that some new foreign users were testing the platform’s censorship limits, with some reporting on social media that they were unable to post about sensitive topics in China, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the company, that RedNote was working to develop moderation tools for English-language content and translation tools between English and Chinese.
