American ‘TikTok Refugees’ Flock to New Chinese Apps

American TikTok users are flocking to new Chinese apps as a ban looms on the popular short video app, CNN reported on Tuesday.

China’s RedNote — also known as Xiaohongshu — and Lemon8 have become the top two most downloaded apps in the US this week as TikTok users in the country prepare for the app being shutdown on Sunday.

Chinese users on the apps are welcoming US users as ‘TikTok refugees’, CNN reported. The hashtag “TikTok refugee” had gained nearly 60 million views and over 1.7 million comments on RedNote as of Tuesday, CNN said.

The American users were seen posting comments critical of the US government for its stance on TikTok, CNN said, adding that their use of RedNote “had created an unlikely platform for Chinese and American users to interact with each other.”

Meanwhile, Chinese users were seen ‘warmly welcoming’ their American counterparts, it added, quoting one user as saying “this could be a historic moment.”

Read the full report: CNN.

Vishakha Saxena

Vishakha Saxena is the Multimedia and Social Media Editor at Asia Financial. She has worked as a digital journalist since 2013, and is an experienced writer and multimedia producer. As a trader and investor, she is keenly interested in new economy, emerging markets and the intersections of finance and society. You can write to her at [email protected]