Key Points
- In the lead-up to the 2025 federal election, some political candidates have turned to Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and RedNote to reach voters.
- These candidates are mostly running in electorates with large Chinese-Australian populations or have Chinese backgrounds themselves.
- Experts and voters have raised concerns about AI-generated content, platform censorship, and one-way political messaging.
Scott Yung is the Liberal candidate in the Sydney seat of Bennelong, previously held by long-time Prime Minister John Howard, and currently in ALP hands through Jerome Laxale.
Yung's campaign is active on Chinese social media platforms RedNote and WeChat with posts available in Mandarin, Cantonese and 'Shanghainese' as a way to "share policy messages and engage with Chinese-Australian voters", he said.
He was recently caught in the crossfire on RedNote when an image he posted on Instagram — wearing traditional Korean attire during Lunar New Year — was reshared by a user.
The image garnered comments falsely claiming he had Korean heritage, including one comment accusing him of "stealing Chinese New Year".
Yung, whose mother is from Shanghai and father is from Hong Kong, said he "didn't mind being the subject of such discussions".
"Whether it's Chinese, Korean, or any other language’s social media, it’s about making sure as many Australians as possible — regardless of background — can fully understand the information and make the best choices," he told SBS Chinese.
During Lunar New Year celebrations, Bennelong candidate, Scott Yung, posted a photo of himself wearing traditional Korean attire which was re-shared on Chinese social media. Credit: Instagram/Scott Yung
Reaching voters through the platforms was "very important to Australian democracy", Yung said.
WeChat remains the dominant Chinese-language social media platform in Australia, with an estimated of Chinese Australians using it daily, and over 1.3 billion users globally.
Meanwhile, RedNote, has gained increasing popularity in Australia with an estimated 70,000 monthly users and around 350 million users worldwide.
Deepfake Dutton videos
The Yung incident isn’t an isolated one.
On RedNote, a deepfake video of federal opposition leader Peter Dutton circulated in February, with an AI-generated Mandarin voice-over discussing his policies on the Indigenous flag if elected.
"We are a country united under one flag. Recognising different flags — no other country does that," the figure in the video said.
Though the video was taken down by the creator, another digitally altered video featuring Dutton remained on the platform, titled "Peter Dutton and His Lies About the Housing Crisis”.
There are digitally altered videos of Peter Dutton on Chinese social media. Credit: RedNote screenshot
This video then accused the Coalition of causing a housing crisis, using a robotic AI voice in Mandarin to dub a male, commenting, "this guy (whose party was) in power for 10 years has done nothing but worsen the housing crisis".
SBS Chinese sought comment from RedNote but did not receive a response by time of publication. however, the platform's user service agreement says users must not use AI to create and disseminate fake news or information.
However, for users located outside of China, the platform states that they do so "at their own risk".
In an interview with SBS Chinese, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said she was aware that many Chinese Australians relied on platforms like WeChat and RedNote for information, and these platforms had become key battlegrounds for election campaigning.
SBS Mandarin has learned that Senator Wong does not have accounts on RedNote or WeChat. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
"So, ensuring people understand our policies — what (opposition leader) Dutton is saying, what Prime Minister Albanese is saying — is crucial. People need to know the differences between the two parties," she said.
A wide mix of both reliable and unreliable content
The content moderation and visibility mechanisms make it difficult to determine exactly how many federal election candidates are using WeChat or RedNote.
However, candidates on these platforms are concentrated in electorates with large Chinese communities or are of Chinese heritage themselves.
SBS Mandarin has identified that in addition to Bennelong candidates Yung and Laxale, Chisholm MP Carina Garland and Liberal candidate Katie Allen, Menzies Liberal MP Keith Wolahan and Labor candidate Gabriel Ng, as well as Reid MP Sally Sitou and her Liberal opponent Grange Chung, have all opened accounts on Chinese social media platforms.
Many other candidates and independents of Chinese background — including Sam Lim, the sitting MP for Tangney; Liberal candidate for Sydney Alex Xu; independent candidate for Bradfield Andy Yin; and Greens candidate for Bonner Wen Li — are also active on WeChat, RedNote, or both.
Bennelong voter Linsey said WeChat and RedNote were her main sources of election information, noting the wide mix of reliable and unreliable content.
"Some people post videos telling you one party is good and the other is bad, but without much basis," she said.
She cited AI-generated clips on WeChat appearing to show a news broadcaster explaining the policies of the major parties in Chinese.
Sydney voter Xiao Fan believes that while social media is a key source of information for the community, most Chinese people can discern truth from falsehoods online.
"We have our own judgement. We also learn a lot from newspapers, radio, and community events," he said.
"Self-media uses 'clickbait' titles and promotes its own narratives. But if we see enough, we know what’s real and what’s not."
Xiao Fan believes that the Chinese community generally has the ability to identify disinformation and misinformation online. Source: SBS / SBS Chinese
However, she acknowledged that political dialogue on these platforms remained limited, serving more as a 'megaphone' for politicians than a two-way channel.
"We see political ads with party leaders and candidates using WeChat to deliver political messages. But whether Chinese-Australian voters’ voices are heard by political leaders is still questionable," Dr Yang said.
"These social media accounts are usually managed by Chinese-speaking staff in candidates’ offices. They form WeChat groups, translate party policies, and shoot videos with Chinese subtitles.
"Some topics get censored on WeChat, and there are concerns about information security. For example, Clare O’Neil used to share policy translations via her personal 'WeChat Moments', but her account was deactivated during 2022-2023."
Changing the way political messages are spread
As platforms like RedNote and WeChat become more mainstream in Australia, they’re changing how political messages are spread.
"It’s moved from images and text to short videos, with more focus on engagement," Dr Yang said.
"For example, candidates post themselves eating Chinese food in Chinatown or attending Chinese community events. Some MPs shoot videos in their office or home, making political content more vivid."
Dr Fan Yang is studying the way political parties are using Chinese social media platforms. Source: Supplied / Dr Fan Yang
But RedNote is also known for its personalised and localised content algorithm.
Dr Yang’s team observed that political content was rarely recommended by the algorithm, making it difficult for users to find.
"If you search a politician’s name on RedNote, even if they have an account, you might not find them. You’ll only see their content if it’s pushed to you in your feed. Users have to follow the account to get updates," she said.
There are multiple personal accounts on RedNote posting election-related information. Credit: RedNote screenshot
Dr Yang stated that while China’s internet controls could influence platform content and accounts, their research suggested that the real impact on Chinese-Australian voters was not stemming from foreign interference.
"Some accounts are based in China and operated by immigration or education agencies," she said.
"They discuss Australian politics, but the content is commercial. They tend to post about immigration policies, foreign property ownership, etc., to stir anxiety and monetise the traffic," she added.
"These subtle, complex issues are often oversimplified as so-called foreign interference."
SBS Mandarin sought comment from Dutton's office about the AI-generated videos but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
