Mainland Chinese officials have issued strong condemnation against Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration for implementing a comprehensive ban on the popular social media application RedNote (Xiaohongshu). The controversial prohibition, enacted on December 4th, 2025, mandates a full-year restriction on the platform that reportedly serves over 3 million Taiwanese users, with approximately 70% belonging to the millennial demographic.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, characterized the prohibition as politically motivated rather than security-driven during a Wednesday press briefing. While Taiwanese authorities justified the measure as necessary for combating cyber fraud and addressing security vulnerabilities, Chen dismissed these explanations as pretextual.
“The DPP’s administrative measures represent a deliberate assault on democratic principles and digital freedoms,” Chen stated. “This action effectively denies Taiwanese citizens, particularly younger generations, their fundamental right to information access and cross-strait cultural exchange.”
Chen emphasized the platform’s significant role in facilitating genuine understanding between mainland Chinese citizens and Taiwanese users. According to his assessment, RedNote has served as a vital channel through which Taiwanese youth could bypass what he described as government-curated information ecosystems and engage directly with mainland perspectives.
The spokesperson further highlighted the economic repercussions of the ban, noting that numerous Taiwanese content creators and businesses reliant on RedNote for livelihood purposes now face substantial financial uncertainty.
In a comparative analysis, Chen referenced statistical data indicating that established platforms like Facebook have documented significantly higher instances of fraudulent activity than those attributed to RedNote, questioning the consistency of the DPP’s regulatory approach.
The spokesman concluded with a warning about the inevitable consequences of such restrictive policies, suggesting they would ultimately fail to suppress the growing desire among Taiwanese youth for meaningful connections with mainland compatriots.