In Sydney’s Bennelong, where Chinese Australians make up a large share of the electorate, the fight for votes is playing out on unexpected turf: Xiaohongshu.
Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who narrowly won the seat in 2022, has taken to the Chinese lifestyle app—also known as RedNote—distributing 30,000 Lunar New Year red envelopes with QR codes linking to his account. “If you want to connect with voters, you need to be where they are,” he says.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose approval ratings have slipped ahead of the May 3 election, is betting on holding seats like Bennelong. But with inflation biting and economic growth sluggish, it may not be enough.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, hoping to regain ground lost during Scott Morrison’s confrontations with Beijing, is also courting Chinese Australians, particularly in seats like Victoria’s Chisholm and Menzies. These are areas where the Chinese-Australian vote swung heavily against the Liberals in 2022.
Apps like WeChat and Xiaohongshu are now campaign tools. At least 21 politicians have joined Xiaohongshu, despite mild security concerns. Some, like Liberal MP Keith Wolahan, boast more followers there than on X or TikTok. Xiaohongshu itself appears to throttle political content, but QR-code strategies are keeping candidates visible.
Beyond geopolitics, it’s bread-and-butter issues that may determine the swing. Chinese-Australian small business owners are sensitive to rising interest rates, housing costs, and taxation. Labor points to restored China trade ties. Liberals promise economic relief and support for enterprise.
For voters like mortgage broker Frank Guo in Bennelong, it's a close call. “I voted Labor last time because of the anti-China talk,” he said. “But this time, I may go back to the Liberals—they speak to my class.”
Amazon says it never planned to display Trump-era tariffs on product pages, disputing a report that drew a sharp response from the White House.
Nearly 39,000 people have been deported to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, and 33,000 of them are Mexican nationals, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Mark Carney walked into the Prime Minister’s Office on Wellington Street Tuesday morning, his first official act after steering the Liberals to a decisive election triumph and reclaiming the reins of Canada’s government.
Amazon says it never planned to display Trump-era tariffs on product pages, disputing a report that drew a sharp response from the White House.
Nearly 39,000 people have been deported to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, and 33,000 of them are Mexican nationals, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Mark Carney walked into the Prime Minister’s Office on Wellington Street Tuesday morning, his first official act after steering the Liberals to a decisive election triumph and reclaiming the reins of Canada’s government.
Russia launched a major missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight on April 24, killing at least twelve people and injuring 90, including children and a pregnant woman, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
In an expansive interview marking his first 100 days back in office, President Donald Trump sketched out an agenda that touches everything from punitive tariffs and China policy to cease-fire hopes in Ukraine and an overhaul of domestic programmes. Below are the highlights.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for April 23rd, covering the latest developments you need to know.
For three generations, the Liebigs built railcars in Görlitz. Now, the factory that shaped their lives will produce parts for battle tanks.
A deadly explosion at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port has left at least 40 dead, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, halting operations at one of the country’s most vital trade hubs.
Three people were killed in a shooting in central Uppsala on Tuesday, police confirmed, as the city began celebrations for Walpurgis Night.
Amazon says it never planned to display Trump-era tariffs on product pages, disputing a report that drew a sharp response from the White House.
Nearly 39,000 people have been deported to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, and 33,000 of them are Mexican nationals, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Amazon says it never planned to display Trump-era tariffs on product pages, disputing a report that drew a sharp response from the White House.
Nearly 39,000 people have been deported to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, and 33,000 of them are Mexican nationals, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday with a rare joint appearance on Mull and Iona, their first major public trip since the princess’s cancer treatment.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur says the U.S. will keep its 80,000 troops in Europe, calling bases like Ramstein and Naples crucial to NATO’s eastern shield and American power projection despite Washington’s growing Indo-Pacific focus.
Mark Carney walked into the Prime Minister’s Office on Wellington Street Tuesday morning, his first official act after steering the Liberals to a decisive election triumph and reclaiming the reins of Canada’s government.
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