WeChat deletes Australian PM’s appeal to Chinese community

Chinese social media platform WeChat has deleted a post by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, accusing him of misleading the public, as the diplomatic spat between the two nations shows no sign of easing. In a direct appeal to the Chinese community, Morrison promoted Australia as a “free, democratic, liberal country” and explained that an official probe is underway into alleged atrocities by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. That post was removed for the use of “misleading words” to “distort historical events and deceive the public,” according to a message displayed in its place.

While stressing the importance of the trading relationship with China, he said Australia won’t give ground on a list of Chinese grievances against the government. They range from Australia meddling in domestic affairs in Hong Kong to calling for a probe into the coronavirus outbreak.Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Thursday said WeChat’s action was “unnecessary.”

Both China and Australia have taken to social media in recent days as tensions between the two nations continue to simmer. Morrison angrily demanded a public apology earlier this week after a diplomat in Beijing tweeted a fake image purporting to show an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of an Afghan child.Like all media in China, WeChat works with the Beijing government to censor sensitive content. The Chinese microblogging site Weibo Corp., a more popular platform for foreign government leaders and politicians, has a history of blocking or removing posts from foreign embassies on topics ranging from human rights to stock market manipulation, according to a 2018 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.