COULD THE VISE TIGHTEN ON XIAOHONGSHU?
Given that one of President Donald Trump’s first acts upon returning to the Oval Office was to delay the TikTok ban, whether Xiaohongshu’s new Western audience will stay active (or be allowed to) on the platform remains to be seen.
As a Chinese-developed and -owned app, Xiaohongshu is subject to the laws and regulations of the Chinese government, which may pose difficulties for American users who are accustomed to freedom of speech on social media platforms. Some US users have already learned that lesson the hard way.
Should intercultural dialogue on Xiaohongshu prove too much of a risk to Chinese censorship, Beijing may tighten its vise on the app.
According to a leaked internal document in 2022, the platform already actively censors discussions that could be deemed controversial or destabilising. If the continued interaction between US and Chinese users begins to jeopardise the pre-existing culture of self-censorship that exists on Chinese social media, Beijing may begin looking for less subtle methods to enforce compliance with its strict regulatory framework.
Furthermore, though TikTok may have earned a temporary reprieve, there is no guarantee that Xiaohongshu will not be subject to a similar investigation and ban by the US government down the line.
While it remains to be seen whether “TikTok refugees” will assimilate and learn to adhere, or if the Chinese authorities will find a balance between encouraging intercultural exchanges and maintaining the integrity of the Great Firewall, Xiaohongshu’s dramatic rise in the West has provided a rare and fascinating look into what happens when Chinese and American netizens collide.
Konrad Lee is a Program Assistant at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, who focuses on foreign policy and US-China relations.
