The account was renamed 'Australia China New Life' in January by its new Chinese owner, Fuzhou 985 Technology, based in Fujian province, which notified followers the account would instead promote Chinese life in Australia.Īn employee from Fuzhou 985 Technology, who only gave his surname as Huang, told Reuters by telephone was not aware the account was previously connected to Morrison.
The account, which bore Morrison's photograph and posted information on his policies in Mandarin targeted at Australian voters of Chinese ethnic origin, had 76,000 followers. The politicians claimed the move represented censorship amid growing diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing with a national election to be held in Australia by May. SYDNEY (Reuters) -A little-known Chinese technology company that took over a WeChat social media account set up for Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday it wanted to buy an account with a large fanbase in Australia, and was unaware it was his.Īustralian politicians said Morrison's office lost access to the account on the platform, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, several months ago. (Refiles to correct spelling of 'minister' in paragraph 1)
Social Media Website/via REUTERS reuters_tickers This content was published on Janu09:37 Janu09:37 A view of the "Australia China New Life" WeChat account, formerly Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's official account, with the first article dated from July 9, 2021, is seen in this screen grab obtained from social media on January 24, 2022.