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Forget TikTok. China's powerhouse app is WeChat, and its power is sweeping

By Paul Mozur
New York Times·
15 mins to read

A vital connection for the Chinese diaspora, the app has also become a global conduit of Chinese state propaganda, surveillance and intimidation. The United States has proposed banning it.

Just after the 2016 presidential election in the United States, Joanne Li realised the app that connected her to fellow Chinese immigrants had disconnected her from reality.

Everything she saw on the Chinese app, WeChat, indicated Donald Trump was an admired leader and impressive businessman. She believed it was the unquestioned

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