2024-04-08 17:11:56
The government’s latest official channel “increases the supply of information to citizens who increasingly read and discuss politics on TikTok,” Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
The account will offer a “behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day life of government,” Hebestreit said.
The chancellor himself announced the new channel on another social network. “I won’t dance. I promise,” O. Scholz wrote on the “X” platform.
To the tune of a bassoon, the first TikTok video showed the chancellor’s office, followed by Scholz himself at his desk.
Scholz has become yet another Western leader to join the Chinese-owned social media platform despite widespread concerns about its security and misinformation.
US President Joe Biden opened the account in February to reach younger voters ahead of this year’s US presidential election.
But Mr. Biden’s presence on the channel didn’t stop him from voicing concerns about the platform’s ownership during a conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this month.
Mr Hebestreit said the opening of the account was a “coincidence”, coming days before Mr Scholz’s visit to China this weekend. He also noted that Scholz’s office took time to evaluate the platform before joining.
Western officials have expressed concern about TikTok’s popularity among young people, saying it is controlled by Beijing and helps spread propaganda – allegations denied by the company and Beijing.
Last month, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would have forced TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban.
2024-04-08 17:11:56