As Taiwan celebrated the inauguration of its new president, Lai Ching-te, China’s censorship machine went into overdrive. The event marked the start of Mr. Lai’s tenure as the 16th-term President of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Democratic Progressive Party’s third consecutive term in office. Despite Beijing’s attempts to suppress coverage, former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials expressed their admiration for Taiwan’s democratic process and the vibrant political discourse on the self-governing island.
On May 20, during Mr. Lai’s inauguration speech, Beijing blocked hashtags related to the event on Weibo, China’s prominent social media platform. Screenshots of the live broadcast posted by some users were swiftly deleted. One user lamented, “I searched for news all day but still have no idea what Lai actually said.”
