China’s Weibo blocks top trending ‘Taiwan election’ hashtag amid self-ruled island’s polls

China’s Weibo social media platform on Saturday blocked a hashtag on the Taiwan presidential election after it became one of the site’s top-trending topics following polls opening on the self-ruled island, news agency AFP reported. When the hashtag ‘Taiwan election’ was searched for at around 9.45 am local time, a notice on the website showed, “In accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed.” Millions of Taiwanese are voting in a presidential election following threats from China that choosing the wrong leader could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island. Voting began at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) at nearly 18,000 polling stations across the island, with almost 20 million people eligible to cast ballots. In mainland China, whose leaders are closely watching the result, “Taiwan election” was one of the highest trending items on Weibo after polls opened early Saturday morning – at one point showing up to 163.2 million post views. Some posts also expressed hope that cross-strait ties could improve following the vote, while others called for the island to be returned to the “motherland” as soon as possible. However, the hashtag was removed by mid-morning, though users could still see posts about the topic. Results are expected Saturday evening, with the outcome watched closely from Beijing to Washington – the island’s main military partner – as the two superpowers tussle for influence in the strategically vital region. Taiwan bans the publishing of polls within 10 days of elections, but political observers say the 64-year-old Lai is expected to win the top seat, though his party is likely to lose its parliamentary majority. The race has also seen the rise of the upstart populist Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), whose leader Ko Wen-je has drawn support with an anti-establishment offer of a “third way” out of the two-party deadlock. Shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week.