Patriotism

People walk past the Drum Tower in Beijing, China, 5 March 2023. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

Chinese commentator: China’s nationalistic frenzy stems from an inferiority complex

Chinese netizens were riled into a nationalistic frenzy when free ice-cream was allegedly given to a foreigner but not a Chinese person at the Shanghai Auto Show. How could such a small incident ruffle so many feathers? Commentator Jin Jian Guo explains.
This handout picture taken and released on 11 January 2023 by the Ukranian Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paying tribute to fallen soldiers at the Field of Mars of Lychakiv Cemetery in the western city of Lviv, Ukraine, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout/Ukranian Presidential Press Service/AFP)

Taiwanese youth: What does democracy in Ukraine and Taiwan tell us?

Throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy has been seen as a champion for democracy against authoritarianism, but Taiwanese social entrepreneur and columnist Jack Huang highlights the flaws in the media’s portrayal and how it could impact the Taiwan Strait crisis.
A screen grab from a video showing a man chanting pro-Huawei slogans in an Apple store in Hanghzhou, China. Can support for China-made brands like Huawei be taken too far? (Internet)

Can Chinese patriotism sustain Huawei through tough times?

Can patriotism be taken too far in supporting Huawei or any other China-made product regardless of quality? Does Huawei even need this form of support? Zaobao’s China Desk takes a look at Huawei’s outlook, as it seems that it needs more than acts of patriotism to tide it over the difficulties it will face in the coming years.
A man and a child walk past a display for Full River Red in a cinema in Fuzhou, 25 January 2023. (CNS)

Chinese films hit it big during CNY, but is it enough to save the industry?

The Chinese film industry has released several blockbusters over the Chinese New Year period, and crowds have also returned to cinemas. However, the off-screen drama seems to be more interesting than the movies themselves, with claims of various forms of dishonest or misleading figures for ticket sales, complete with lawsuits and competition for audiences.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, US, 4 February 2023. (Randall Hill/Reuters)

A Chinese balloon derails US-China rapprochement

Commentator William He analyses reactions to a Chinese balloon being detected in US airspace, and US-China relations being hit by another cold snap. Are we going back to Cold War times?
A woman reads Lianhe Zaobao at a bus interchange in Singapore. (SPH Media)

Navigating China-US competition: A Singapore Chinese-language paper's experience

Former Zaobao editor Lim Jim Koon observes that zaobao.com was recently lumped in with “local media” of China in one of the Japanese media reports. Intentionally or not, this is one of the ways that Singapore’s leading Chinese-language newspaper has sometimes been cast as pro-China or anti-China to suit the narratives of others. As China-US tensions intensify in the new Year of the Rabbit, the paper, and perhaps Singapore too, must brace itself for labels being cast on it, and keep vigilant in staying the course and guarding its own interests.
Hong Kong scion Kenneth Fok has a shot at becoming Hong Kong's next Chief Executive. (SPH Media)

Will scion Kenneth Fok become Hong Kong's future chief executive?

Hong Kong scion Kenneth Fok seems to be favoured as a future candidate for Hong Kong’s next chief executive by the higher-ups in Beijing. The eldest grandson of the late "patriotic" tycoon Henry Fok Ying Tung and the husband of former Olympic gold-medal diver Guo Jingjing, Kenneth Fok's background is "politically correct" and fits well into the “patriots rule Hong Kong” governance model.
Li-Ning's Fall/Winter collection included some looks reminiscent of WWII Japanese army uniforms. (Li-Ning/Weibo)

Chinese netizens chastise Li-Ning for Japanese military-style fashion

Some outfits at a showcase of Li-Ning’s Fall/Winter collection said to resemble uniforms worn by the Japanese military during their invasion of China have sparked a wave of controversy, and this is made worse by the fact that a member of Li-Ning’s senior management is Japanese-Chinese. Are the Chinese netizens too sensitive or is Li-Ning too insensitive?
People walk at an alley in Qianmen street in Beijing, China, on 2 October 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Can China really catch up with the US?

China has great motivation to achieve its China Dream of catching up with and surpassing the US. Not only would this wipe away its century of humiliation but also prove the superiority of socialism. However, its actions could make achieving its dream that much harder.