Tencent’s WeChat to skip Australian social media hearing on ‘political interference’ amid backlash
- WeChat has declined multiple invitations to appear before an Australian Senate hearing on social media interference, according to politician
- WeChat has been under fire in Australia for its alleged influence over Chinese-Australians, amid souring relations between Beijing and Canberra
Chinese social media app WeChat will not be sending a delegate to a hearing at Australia’s parliament on foreign interference in domestic political affairs, as a backlash continues to mount in the country against the super app owned by Tencent Holdings.
According to a letter penned by Australian Liberal Senator James Paterson, a prominent China hawk who has warned against WeChat’s influence in the country, the Chinese social media platform has declined multiple invitations to appear before the hearing by Australia’s Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, which begins on Tuesday.
The hearing, which is set to highlight the potential of “foreign interference” through social media in Australian politics, will be attended by executives from social media giants TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, as well as Western platforms Twitter and LinkedIn.
As WeChat has no permanent staff in Australia, the country’s parliament cannot force executives from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, where Tencent is headquartered, to show up at the hearing.
“WeChat takes compliance seriously in all markets in which we operate. We look forward to continuing to engage with stakeholders in Australia,” said a Tencent spokesperson on Monday.