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Guo Rui

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is not the only overseas politician or celebrity to set up an official WeChat account from outside China.
Like Morrison, it appears that a few of our Top 6 overseas users of the Chinese messaging service are not verified by WeChat.
Official WeChat accounts – ones permitted to push alerts to followers – must be registered to a Chinese national in China. To get around this, many overseas users go through third parties in the country.
This can make them vulnerable to losing control of their account, as happened to Morrison.
1. The NBA
America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has an official WeChat account, registered and verified by a Beijing-based NBA sports culture company.
The account has a wealth of content and services and operates like an online shop. There is official schedule information and an introduction to the All-Star line-up, as well as merchandise.
Its latest post – with nearly 60,000 hits – is a Lunar New Year message, in which the NBA offers its WeChat followers best wishes for the Year of the Tiger.


2. BTS
The wildly popular K-pop stars do not have their own WeChat account. Instead, their Chinese fan club operates a verified official account called btsfans.
It has published more than 700 articles, on everything from concert information and high-quality pictures, to behind-the-scenes rehearsal highlights. Each one receives thousands of hits.
3. Bill Gates
Billionaire Bill Gates, whose private charitable foundation has a branch in China, had his official account registered by a Beijing-based consulting firm in February 2017.

“This is my personal blog, where I share about the people I meet, the books I’m reading, and what I’m learning,” Gates said bilingually in a welcome video.
According to the About page, content includes global health, energy innovation, education reform, and reading notes. Each article regularly generates thousands of hits.
The account is owned by Bridge, founded in 2016 as a joint venture between a Beijing-based consulting firm and the New York-based Global Health Strategies (GHS). The Gates Foundation is a major client.
The Gates account is verified by WeChat.
Winter Olympics: China restricts activists’ social media ahead of Games
4. Stephon Marbury
The first star player to leave the NBA for the Chinese Basketball Association has two WeChat official accounts, both claiming to be certified by Marbury himself.
One, named House of Marbury, is a collaboration between the coach and now-retired player and the Beijing Post service. It has posted just once, to introduce Marbury’s clothing brand.
Another account, RealMarbury, was created by Beijing Yutian Sports Culture, a company set up by Marbury’s Chinese agent. It published around 30 articles giving a first-person account of his China tour. The last one, in March 2017, attracted more than 5,000 reads but the account has not been updated since.

5. Selena Gomez
A WeChat account named after the 29-year-old American pop singer stopped pushing alerts in October 2019. Before that, it was used to share her new album releases, favourite shoes, and street photos, with each post receiving a few hundred hits. It does not appear to be verified.
6. Elon Musk
The Tesla founder has a dozen public accounts named after him on WeChat, all sharing his anecdotes and updates on his work. They seem to have been built by fans, with no personal connection to Musk.


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Not just Scott Morrison: 6 overseas celebrity WeChat accounts

K-Pop sensations BTS have a WeChat presence in China thanks to an account set up by fans. Photo: Getty Images

Bill Gates, the former Microsoft CEO, has an official verified WeChat account which regularly receives thousands of views. Photo: AP

A WeChat account was publicising US pop singer Selena Gomez’s work until 2019. Photo: GC Images

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The WeChat app icon seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing on August 7, 2020. Photo: AP

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers an address, during the COP26 Summit, at the SECC in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1, 2021. Photo: AP

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The WeChat app displayed on a smartphone on July 10, 2020. Photo: Shutterstock

News

China

Diplomacy


Unlike the Australian prime minister’s account, most of those in operation have an official, verified presence on the messaging platform
The most popular is the NBA, but K-pop band BTS and American billionaire Bill Gates are also represented



Unlike the Australian prime minister’s account, most of those in operation have an official, verified presence on the messaging platform.


Cybersecurity

China-Australia relations