Taiwan said some online influencers have become propaganda tools of Beijing and warned that they will be punished if they break the law after revelations of pay-offs for pro-China messages sparked an uproar on the island. YouTuber Ba Jiong, whose channel, “Fun TV,” boasts more than a million subscribers, posted a video on Dec. 6 detailing what he said was collusion between some Taiwan influencers and Beijing’s United Front, through which the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, uses groups and individuals to advance its interests.
The video, which Ba Jiong said “reveals how China’s United Front Work Department buys off Taiwanese influencers,” caused a sensation, getting more than 2 million views in two days and sparking heated debate.The government of self-ruled Taiwan, which has been at loggerheads with Beijing for decades, said it was well aware that Beijing was trying to win favor and promote a positive image through online celebrities and it was monitoring developments closely. “Internet celebrities have become an important part of the Chinese Communist Party’s cognitive warfare against Taiwan and must be taken seriously,” said Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait affairs, on Saturday.
