DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Taiwan candidate Yu Shu-chen denies foreign social media accounts after Hong Kong registration revealed

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A political candidate in Taiwan, Yu Shu-chen, is embroiled in a controversy over social media accounts allegedly originating from Hong Kong.
  • The accounts, which posted political content, were discovered to be registered in Hong Kong and used Chinese-style pinyin, sparking accusations of foreign interference.
  • Yu Shu-chen denied operating the accounts, calling them impersonations and a smear tactic, shortly before the accounts were deleted.

A controversy has erupted in Taiwan's political landscape surrounding a candidate's social media presence. Yu Shu-chen, a nominee for Hualien County Magistrate, found herself at the center of allegations involving "foreign interference" after social media accounts supporting her campaign were found to be registered in Hong Kong.

The accounts, operating under names like "Happy Hualien, Yu Starts Here," featured slogans and political commentary. Netizens quickly pointed out that the accounts' "location" was listed as Hong Kong and that they used "xingfuhualian" in Chinese pinyin, commonly used in mainland China, rather than the Taiwanese-standard Wade-Giles system. This fueled accusations that the accounts were part of a Chinese Communist Party effort to influence the election.

We must solemnly explain that she has never authorized, nor has she ever operated, this account. This account has no relationship with Yu Shu-chen's team, nor has she entrusted any external or overseas unit to operate it. Please do not believe information from unofficial channels.

— Yu Shu-chenYu Shu-chen's statement clarifying her non-involvement with the controversial social media accounts.

Yu Shu-chen vehemently denied any connection to these accounts. In a statement, she asserted her commitment to a clean election and accused "those with ulterior motives" of fabricating the situation. She questioned the logic of any candidate "stupidly" creating foreign accounts that would backfire. Yu suggested the accounts were a "green internet army" self-staging a smear campaign. Her campaign called for direct confrontation rather than online slander.

Adding to the intrigue, the "foreign" accounts linked to Yu Shu-chen, as well as similar ones for other KMT politicians like Hsieh Lung-chieh and Chiang Wan-an, were reportedly deleted shortly after Yu's statement. This rapid disappearance fueled speculation among critics, who questioned the coincidence and suggested a possible link between the statement and the accounts' removal.

Are the methods of election so improper? Which candidate would be so 'stupid' as to apply for a foreign account and let the fire burn themselves?

— Yu Shu-chenYu Shu-chen questioning the logic behind the alleged foreign-operated campaign accounts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog