The Trojan Horse: How WeChat Infiltrates Western Politics

Chinese Communist Party influences US elections via popular messaging app

Coordination Council of Chinese American Associations in Washington canvassing local Chinese voters for Chinese Communist Party-backed candidate Lily Qi’s Maryland state delegate campaign. CCCAA PR

Chinese messaging app WeChat has become a major platform for political discussions among overseas Chinese, as well as a tool for Western politicians to engage in discourse with local Chinese communities.

This trend has taken hold since the 2016 U.S. elections and in Australia, during the 2019 Australian federal elections.