Taiwan may extend its block on Xiaohongshu as Beijing and Taipei trade accusations
Taiwan is preparing to keep Chinese app Xiaohongshu (RedNote) blocked for another year, saying it cut fraud sharply — good news for scam victims, bad news for cross-strait relations.
- Taiwan's interior ministry says fraud cases fell 80% and money lost to scams fell 55% after it restricted the app last December.
- A registered letter has been sent to the platform; if it stays silent, the block will likely run another year.
- Taiwan says the move is purely anti-fraud, not aimed at China, because the platform never took real steps to fix the problem.
- Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office calls the numbers made up and accuses Taipei of stripping young people of their right to information.
- Taipei fired back that China blocks Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LINE behind its Great Firewall and should fix its own internet freedom first.
Outlook: The block looks set to be renewed, and the war of words between Taipei and Beijing over online platforms will keep escalating.