![]() ![]() Paterson said it was concerning that 1.2 million Chinese Australians who use the platform couldn't access news from the prime minister, but could still see criticisms of the government made by opposition leader Anthony Albanese.įergus Ryan, a Chinese social media expert with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, tweeted that Morrison was one of at least a dozen Australian politicians who use WeChat accounts now registered to Chinese citizens. “What the Chinese government has done by shutting down an Australian account is foreign interference of Australian democracy in an election year,” Paterson said. Paterson, who is a member of Morrison's conservative Liberal Party, called on all lawmakers to boycott the platform. Paterson accused the Chinese Communist Party of censoring the prime minister with Australia's elections due by May. Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security Chair James Paterson said WeChat had not immediately replied to an Australian government request that the prime minister's account be restored. It identified the present owner of the account only as a “technology services company,” adding that it would “continue to look into this matter further.” In accordance with Chinese regulations, Morrison's public account was registered with a Chinese citizen and was later transferred to its current operator, the company said. “Based on our information, this appears to be a dispute over account ownership,” the company said. In response to a question from The Associated Press, WeChat's parent company Tencent said that there was “no evidence of any hacking or third-party intrusion,” related to Morrison's account. Morrison's office declined to comment on the report. The changes were made without the government's knowledge, the report said. ![]() Morrison's 76,000 WeChat followers were notified his page had been renamed “Australian Chinese new life” earlier this month and his photograph had been removed, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has lost control of his account on the Chinese-owned social media platform WeChat and a lawmaker on Monday accused China's leaders of political interference. ![]()
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