One of the posts, which reminded users that “a new government is taking office in Taiwan on May 20,” was deleted and replaced with the message: “according to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic cannot be published,” AFP reported.

Another post that simply stated “Lai takes office today” was also removed.

References to his name and that of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in the context of the inauguration were also blocked.

However, searches for Lai’s name in other contexts still returned results.

China maintains tight control over its media, with the internet heavily censored for content deemed politically sensitive or likely to cause social unrest.

Weibo regularly blocks hashtags deemed politically sensitive to prevent them from trending on the platform, which is used by hundreds of millions of people in China.

The issue of Taiwan is a particularly sensitive one for China.

The Chinese Communist Party claims the self-ruled island of 23 million people, which has been governed by a rival government since 1949, as its own territory.

Taiwan’s new leader was sworn in on Thursday, taking over from Tsai Ing-wen whose eight years in office were marked by deteriorating relations with Beijing.

In the lead-up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January, the platform blocked references to the vote.

Lai called on China to “end its political and military intimidation” in his inauguration speech, which was largely ignored by Chinese state media.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the remnants of China’s former nationalist government fled to the island after losing a civil war to the communists.

But Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, not a sovereign political entity, and has threatened to use force if the island formally declares independence.

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