On Weibo - Thailand vs. China - Star Wars

[Randy W]

from Reuters

 

China-Thailand coronavirus social media war escalates

 

War of words and hashtags on Chinese platform Weibo resulted in more than 1.44 million posts and 4.64 billion views.

 

 

“Nnevvy” is the social media moniker of internet model Weeraya Sukaram and the dispute began after she was accused of sharing a Thai Twitter message questioning whether the coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory.

Furious Chinese netizens then said she had once appeared to suggest, in a post on Instagram, that Taiwan was not part of China. Beijing says the self-ruled island is an indivisible part of its territory.

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The quarrel, which has seen Southeast Asian internet users join forces with those in Taiwan and Hong Kong, has highlighted old tensions between China and its smaller neighbours fanned by the emergence of the new coronavirus.

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"While #Nnevvy started off as an intense overnight Twitter war between Thailand and China, it's now turned into meaningful diplomatic engagement with Hong Kong and Taiwan," said Tracy Beattie of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

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"Thailand is poor, but China is Pooh," read one viral tweet.