The provincial government has launched an account on the Chinese-language social media app, Weibo, in an effort to connect with more British Columbians.
The B.C. government’s verified Weibo channel already has more than 1,100 followers and has published more than 47 posts, covering a range of topics including public safety, emergency preparedness, cost of living, housing, education, healthcare and justice services.
Weibo is a popular Chinese-language social media platform with more than 250 million daily users worldwide. In Canada, there are nearly 800,000 users and a global monthly user base of 600 million people spread across 190 countries.
Chinese serves as the first written language for about 11 per cent of B.C.’s population, and the government is hoping the social media app will remove barriers for English learners whose primary language is simplified Chinese.
Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang said that as an immigrant, she understand the struggle shared by many newcomers to B.C. who try to access accurate, timely and reliable information.
“I also recognize the importance of providing people in our province with trustworthy information in their principal language. That’s why we are expanding our online information platforms to include Weibo, one of the most widely used social-media channels by Chinese-speaking communities in B.C. and around the world.”
The province has social media accounts on several platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
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