(Yicai) Jan. 14 --  Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media and e-commerce platform likened to Instagram and known as RedNote overseas, has topped Apple's App Store chart in the US, likely due to the looming ban of TikTok in the country.

Xiaohongshu jumped to the first from the 209th spot on the US App Store within a week, according to the latest rankings. Over the past year, it had only reached as high as 24th.

Shanghai-based RedNote, which mainly targets the Chinese market and has most of its content in Chinese, saw a surge in overseas users that use tags such as "American from TikTok" and "TikTok Refugee," drawing significant attention and engagement.

However, industry insiders told Yicai that whether RedNote can replace TikTok remains to be seen, and the surge in new users might be a temporary craze.

The situation with RedNote might have been partially orchestrated, an industry professional with a long-term focus on overseas markets suggested. If TikTok gets banned, US influencers are more likely to turn to Instagram, X, or Threads, he pointed out.

In addition, RedNote will also face regulatory compliance issues such as real-name verification. Some overseas users have reported that their accounts created using foreign phone numbers cannot interact with some other accounts, while certain features are restricted.

While top-tier overseas influencers may be able to integrate into RedNote, it remains to be seen whether the platform can accommodate the overall influx of users and whether regulatory compliance will be relaxed, the industry professional pointed out.

The US government demands that TikTok's parent company, Chinese tech giant ByteDance, sell or divest the platform by Jan. 19 due to national security concerns, or it will get banned.

Editor: Martin Kadiev