‘Insane’: Xi’s call for ethnic Chinese to tell Beijing’s story stirs anger

In late February, 59-year-old Tan Boon Ping became the first person elected as a “politician” in Singapore. City-state officials reported that Mr.

Tan was “influenced by foreign artists and willing to support their interests” and that Mr Tan’s activities were “created to achieve political success in Singapore” and give them a following of citizens. We are ready to take “countermeasures”.

For Chen, the appointment means he must declare that the donations he receives exceed his income and provide police information about his foreign affairs. The Minister of Internal Affairs may object to his candidacy.

Tan is the embodiment of Singapore’s success story in many ways, even before its name. Originally from Hong Kong, he lived in the East Asian city-state for more than 30 years, became a wealthy businessman, obtained Singaporean citizenship, and became a leader who improved relations between his native Hong Kong and Singapore as well as Hong Kong. Singapore and China.

Singapore is the only Chinese-majority country in Southeast Asia – a result of southern Chinese immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries – and as a major city-state it has relations with its neighbours; China’s cooperation with Beijing is our biggest cooperation.

Our trading partner continues to deepen. While Singaporean authorities have not made clear the involvement of “foreign actors” in the Chan case, Dylan Loh, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy and Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University, told Al Jazeera that based on Chan’s work and comments, he.

There is no doubt about his collaboration with Chan. It is played by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chen encouraged Chinese people around the world to unite and spread positive messages about China’s rule with the help of Chinese leaders.

Following mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Chen Zhaoshi held a rally where participants shouted, “Support Hong Kong police, protect Hong Kong, justice will prevail.” Police warned him because of Singapore’s strict law on public gatherings, The Straits Times reported.

Chen attended the annual meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing in 2023 and said that “we should strengthen our efforts to support foreign political activists” and “we should deplore the evil spirit of Western fake news.”

Like Chinese President Xi Jinping, Jackie Chan often emphasizes the importance of “telling the good story of China.” Loh considers this “akin to a call to action.” “He only crossed the line in some of his other activities, in defending other countries as a Singaporean,” he said.

Xi Jinping is targeting the Chinese nation According to Luo, Mr Tan’s participation in the executive committee and his high status in the city-state will raise concerns that he will use it to influence the people of Singapore. “While promoting Chinese people abroad to tell a good story about China, he also tried to show the difference between Chinese citizens and non-Chinese,” Luo said.

“And I think most countries will find that it is not possible for their own citizens to work for foreign actors to influence them.” Beijing says overall there are about 6,000 Wanhua people living in about 200 countries and regions.

except perhaps those living abroad in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, where the CCP claims independence. China’s roots go back centuries to countries such as Malaysia (where Chinese make up 23% of the population), Thailand and Indonesia.

In his latest introduction to the story of China, Xi Jinping spoke of the role that “China’s sons and daughters at home and abroad” must play in the unity of all ethnic groups across the country to achieve the renaissance of the Chinese nation. “

Ian Chong Ja, a professor who teaches Chinese foreign policy at the National University of Singapore, said Xi’s comments showed that the Communist Party sees it as a tool to mobilize support and support from Chinese people around the world.

in the country. unfaithful. China is not loyal to China. Analysts say this is dangerous for some people. “Overseas Chinese communities are very diverse, and the influence of different Chinese communities on China’s foreign relations is complex,” Zhuang told Al Jazeera. “While some were interested, others were targeted.”

Former Canadian MP Kenny Chiu is also one of the targets. Like Chan, Chiu was born in Hong Kong, moved to Canada at a young age, and was elected interim MP in 2019.

He reportedly lost his seat in the second election, years after being the target of China’s misrepresentation and anti-competitive policies. applications. Chiu has spoken publicly about Beijing’s intervention in Hong Kong and foreign interference in Canada.

He told Al Jazeera that Xi Jinping’s call for Chinese people around the world to join in support of China was “madness”. “Imagine if England suddenly required everyone with a British name to swear an oath in the name of the British Crown,” he said.

Overseas Chinese are often referred to as “overseas Chinese” by the CCP; “overseas Chinese” refers to overseas Chinese and “huaren” refers to China with foreign countries.

Xi Jinping called the two groups “members of the Chinese family” and said they “will never forget the country, China” and “will not admit that Chinese blood flows between them.” Zhuang says this shows that Beijing defines the identity of the Chinese nation less by law and more by race and ethnicity.

“The policy in many parts of the world is to look at people and their loyalty according to the importance they have for them, but Xi Jinping’s method is to say that it is more important than that. It is your blood and the land from which your ancestors come,” Chong explained.

Qiu said He believed that it was absurd for many Chinese to try to make sense of the Chinese border. “I am of Chinese nationality and culture, but today I have never lived a day under Chinese rule,” he said. Mimi Lee, a wedding manager from Toronto, also grew up in Hong Kong at a time when Beijing had more ways to reach Chinese outside of China and had less influence over the Chinese city-state.

“Growing up, I didn’t have any particular attachment or isolation towards China,” she said. Today he considers himself a Hong Kong Canadian. “My Chinese story and the Chinese language I taught my son have nothing to do with the CCP,” he said.

Old stories for new times Although it may seem a bit strange that Xi Jinping is trying to treat all Chinese people as part of China, Zhang points out that this is nothing new. Both the Qing government and the Kuomintang consider all Chinese to be Chinese and ethnic, no matter where they are.

Before becoming the first leader of the Chinese state, Sun Yat-sen visited Chinese communities in Southeast Asia in China’s early years, appealing to Chinese living abroad to assist him in raising funds and support to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. .

20th century Later, during the war, both countries and communists competed for society’s support and benefit. Following the victory, the Communists under Mao Zedong began encouraging Chinese to obtain citizenship in the host country.

Later, in the 1960s, the Communist Party saw them as conduits for spreading antisemitism, especially to neighbors where Chinese society had been stable for generations. “This leads to friction and sometimes violence between China and China and local governments,” Chong explained.

Sometimes this conflict can lead to violence. In 1965, the alleged failure resulted in the killing of thousands of Chinese Indonesians in a counter-uprising that the government blamed on the local population. Years ago, the government forced them to change their names and stop celebrating the New Year. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, approximately 200 people died in the racist riots that broke out in the city of Kuala Lumpur after the harsh elections in 1969. The protests led to violent protests and the introduction of ethnic rights in favor of the Malay majority.

Reports of what happened are still official secrets. With the death of Mao Zedong and the rise of the New Economy under Deng Xiaoping, the CCP changed its stance once again; Promoted China’s foreign trade and economic relations.

Now under Xi Jinping, Beijing will likely return to its pre-communist narrative, Zhong said. “The difference today is that instead of standing on the street corner handing out leaflets, you can easily move money and spread ideas by expanding the media environment,” Chong said.

Now under Xi Jinping, Beijing will likely return to its pre-communist narrative, Zhong said. “The difference today is that instead of standing on the street corner handing out leaflets, you can easily move money and spread ideas by expanding the media environment,” Chong said.

In recent years, Beijing has established relations with Chinese abroad through local business associations, student groups, friends, and new organizations in the cultural field, often led by the United Front Department. Although murders and atrocities have become history, many Chinese communities, especially in Southeast Asia, still face horror. Beijing’s latest words and actions will not help.

Advertisement “Beijing is trying to use nationalism among refugees to make it difficult for ethnic Chinese to integrate into society,” said Zhuang, noting that this could lead to suspicion and violence against the Chinese minority. “Whether intentional or not, this risk exists.”