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Drawing on evidence from focus groups conducted with Chinese citizens in the United Kingdom, we reveal that although WeChat users are often connected through offline social and professional networks, contentious politics manifests on the app only under a narrow range of circumstances. Furthermore, political contention on WeChat is reported by our respondents to be largely confined to matters of \u2018interest-oriented\u2019 and\/or \u2018safe\u2019 topics that do not challenge the wider political system. This trend is driven by a combination of political and cultural dynamics which we elaborate in a theoretically informed thematic analysis, arguing that engaging with the concept of guanxi provides more insight into the political repercussions of WeChat in China than a focus on tie strength.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444819830072","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,22]],"date-time":"2019-02-22T07:36:43Z","timestamp":1550821003000},"page":"1714-1733","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["The ties that bind: How the dominance of WeChat combines with\n                    <i>guanxi<\/i>\n                    to inhibit and constrain China\u2019s contentious politics"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5741-6862","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yan","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Swansea University, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8265-4910","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew","family":"Wall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Swansea University, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1461444819830072","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0002764215580613"},{"key":"bibr2-1461444819830072","volume-title":"Guide to Chat Apps","author":"Barot T","year":"2015"},{"key":"bibr3-1461444819830072","volume-title":"Personal Connections in the Digital Age","author":"Baym N","year":"2015","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr4-1461444819830072","volume-title":"New Frontiers in Newsgathering","author":"Belair-Gagnon V","year":"2016"},{"key":"bibr5-1461444819830072","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2050157917725549"},{"key":"bibr6-1461444819830072","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2012.670661"},{"key":"bibr7-1461444819830072","unstructured":"Bhagat R (2016) 5 WeChat features that WhatsApp should really use. 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