Racism

How a Chinese film sparked cognitive warfare on Singapore

A heartfelt film about a Teochew grandmother unexpectedly triggered heated debate about culture and politics. Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, takes a look at the cognitive warfare campaign targeting Singapore’s multiracial identity.

Han Yong May

16 Jun 2026

Can India-Taiwan ties withstand backlash over Indian migrant workers?

While Taiwan looks for ways to diversify its labour pool with Indian workers high on that list, civil society and the opposition have come in with scaremongering tactics that may jeopardise Taiwan’s steady relations with India. Academic Ghulam Ali weighs in on the issue. 

Ghulam Ali

06 May 2026

Empire in decline? Asian Americans in an age of anxiety

Amid intensified immigration enforcement, many immigrants and Asian Americans report rising fear, discrimination and uncertainty, reshaping daily life and eroding confidence in the American promise. Chinese American academic Wu Guo shares some insight on the long-term impact of ICE operations on the psyche of the Asian community.

Wu Guo

23 Apr 2026

[Vox pop] ‘Not all Chinese, but always Chinese?’ How Chinese tourists are seen overseas

Chinese tourists often spark debate in global travel circles: admired for their spending power, yet frequently criticised online for behaviour such as cutting queues or littering. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lu Lingming speak with foreign travellers and mainland Chinese tourists about how these images are formed and how fair they are.

Yi Jina, Lu Lingming

13 Feb 2026

Trumpism’s racial turn: From civilisation to whiteness

In its second phase, Trumpism has evolved into a racialised political project — a 21st century reinterpretation of Aryanism — redefining American identity not through ideological conflict, as in the Cold War, but through a rigid racial ordering, argues academic Ma Haiyun.

Ma Haiyun

15 Dec 2025

The politics of sinophobia in Malaysia

Recent visits by China contingents to Malaysia have cast the spotlight on the Malaysian Chinese. Discussing the issue, Malaysian academic Ngu Ik Tien says citizens of superpower nations such as China and the US can be more restrained in expressing their national pride and identity outside their country.

Ngu Ik Tien

19 Dec 2024

The tragi-comic lives of Indian-Chinese couples

Shivaji Das and Yolanda Yu, an interracial couple and the authors of Rebels, Traitors, Peacemakers: True Stories of Love and Conflict in Indian-Chinese Relationships, share their thoughts and findings of their time collecting stories on the lives of Indian-Chinese couples.

Shivaji Das, Yolanda Yu

12 Jan 2024

US academic: Chinese Americans and racial discrimination in the US

Academic Wu Guo notes that ethnic politics is fundamentally a narrative and institutional tool dominated by the ethnic majority. He looks at how white elites in the US shaped the politics of demographic categorisation and identity labels in the country and at their attempts to stir up identity politics in other countries. He asks: are the very people classified as "people of colour" aware of these issues or are they just as guilty of racism and having a tendency towards "social Darwinism"?

Wu Guo

04 Jan 2024

China's information wall is distorting people's worldviews

US-based academic Wu Guo visited his friends and relatives in China after the lifting of Covid restrictions. Based on his observations and interactions, he shares his worries that most Chinese only have one single source of information, and live in a world of simplified Chinese characters, which could result in them developing a distorted and illusory view of the world.

Wu Guo

16 Aug 2023

Shedding the passive image: Ethnic Chinese need to step up in US society

Asians are generally known to be humble, tend to keep a low profile, and not strive for leadership positions. However, US academic Wu Guo argues that perhaps it is time for ethnic Chinese to take a leaf from white Americans' book and learn to be confident enough to step up.

Wu Guo

22 Jun 2023

Anti-Chinese comments by former Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla spark different reactions

Former Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla claimed that Chinese people control the Indonesian economy, given their involvement in business and trade. Is there anything to back up the statement, or is it a show of racism, intended to stir anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia?

Leo Suryadinata

09 Jun 2023

The US is seeing a right-wing resurgence

Political rising star and possible candidate for future US president Ron DeSantis has set off a public debate on racism and its place in the American education system. But beneath the public backlash lies the perennial tussle between the conservative right and progressive left. While the US's polarised state is a given, is the US society shifting further towards the right?

Wu Guo

23 Mar 2023