China's tech giants leap over 'Great Firewall' to spread message

Huawei uses Facebook and Twitter to counter Trump's narrative on security risk

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While Beijing blocks many foreign media sites, Chinese outlets such as China Global Television Network and China Central Television have millions of followers worldwide on Twitter or Facebook. (Nikkei illustration)

SIMON ROUGHNEEN, Asia regional correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR -- Anyone who has spent time in China will have had to grapple with the "Great Firewall" that bars the use of many overseas websites and applications.

But turn things around, and it is clear that Chinese companies, including the embattled tech giant Huawei Technologies, are using platforms banned by Beijing to get their message out to the world. Huawei uses Western social media to counter the Trump administration's narrative that it is a security risk, and should be banned from Western markets -- particularly superfast 5G networks.

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