Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s account on Chinese-owned social media platform WeChat was taken over and renamed, and a lawmaker on Monday accused China’s leaders of political interference.

Morrison’s 76,000 WeChat followers have been notified his web page had been renamed “Australian Chinese new life” earlier this month and his {photograph} had been eliminated, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. The adjustments have been made with out the federal government’s information, the report mentioned.

Morrison’s workplace declined to touch upon the report.

Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security Chair James Paterson mentioned WeChat has not replied to an Australian authorities request that the prime minister’s account be restored.

Paterson accused the Chinese Communist Party of censoring the prime minister with Australia’s elections due by May.

Paterson, who’s a member of Morrison’s conservative Liberal Party, referred to as on all lawmakers to boycott the platform, which is owned by Chinese expertise big Tencent.

“What the Chinese government has done by shutting down an Australian account is foreign interference of Australian democracy in an election year,” Paterson informed Sydney Radio on 2GB.

“No politician should be on WeChat and legitimizing their censorship,” Paterson added.

Paterson mentioned it was regarding that 1.2 million Chinese Australians who use the platform could not entry information from the prime minister, however may nonetheless see criticisms of the federal government made by opposition chief Anthony Albanese.

Liberal Party lawmaker and former diplomat Dave Sharma mentioned the interference was seemingly sanctioned by the Chinese authorities.

Sharma mentioned whereas Morrison used WeChat to attach with Australia’s Chinese diaspora, the platform was in the end managed by the Chinese Communist Party.

“More likely than not it was state-sanctioned and it shows the attitude towards free speech and freedom of expression that comes out of Beijing,” Sharma informed Sky News tv.

Morrison has had a vexed relationship with China since he changed Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister in 2018.

The Chinese have been vital of a brand new partnership involving Australia, Britain, and the United States introduced in September underneath which Australia will probably be supplied with nuclear-powered submarines.