Scott Morrison used the Chinese messaging platform, owned by Shenzhen-based tech conglomerate Tencent, to appeal to its over one billion users about a doctored image shared on Twitter by a top Chinese Communist Party official. Morrison said in his now-deleted post that the tweet “does not diminish our respect and appreciation of our Chinese Australian community or indeed our friendship with the people of China.” (News.Com.Au)

Talking point: The image to which Morrison objected had been manipulated to depict an Australian soldier grinning while crouching on Afghan and Australian flags, and holding a knife to a child’s throat. Twitter rejected Australia’s request to remove the image. About Morrison’s message, WeChat said it “involves the use of inciting, misleading, or contrary to objective facts, text, pictures, videos, etc., fabricate social hot spots, distort historical events and confuse the public.” The fallout prompted Australian Senator Pauline Hanson of the far-right One Nation party to call for a boycott of Chinese-made products. Beijing warned Australia of “lasting punishments” as a result.