Amplifying China's ‘soft' power
The Labubu story first appeared in the Western media as relatively non-politicised articles and commentaries. Focusing on a consumer and fashion phenomenon, lifestyle editors shared the latest fad that was drawing excited crowds in the style capitals of Europe and America. Initially, the story was given little attention in the headline news and foreign policy reports of Western media and their allied Asian outlets.
Much of the early coverage focused on Labubu's nondescript and modest origins, and how the unusual cross-cultural appeal of small, fuzzy and sharp-toothed dolls rapidly became a merchandising monster.
The toy's explosive popularity made the owner and CEO of Pop Mart one of the fastest-rising billionaires in recent times as the toy racked up millions of views and sales, especially after the dolls began to adorn the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna, Cher, Beckham and others in the West.
Forbes has noted that Labubu is not just a niche trend, it is at the centre of Pop Mart's explosive growth. The 'Monsters' line, with Labubu as its poster child, brought in over RMB3 billion (RM592 million) in 2024. International sales soared by more than 700%, cementing Pop Mart's place as a global consumer brand.
Today, the company boasts a market cap approaching US$40 billion (RM170 billion) – surpassing legacy giants such as Hasbro and Mattel – with Labubu mania at the heart of its success.
Responses to Labubu
The initial stories have now moved on to delve deeper into how China's cultural exports are serving not only as a breakthrough in fashion trends but also as a master class in behavioural economics.
More ideologically partisan commentators are now taking it into the realm of geopolitics by depicting it as the latest threat to the West from China. To them, Labubu appears to be carving out an unacceptable cool image of the country and this is defying the geopolitical and ideological headwinds that they are intent on whipping up against China.
How long an objective and non-political response to the popularity of Labubu can continue remains to be seen. However, with most Western governments' portrayal of China as a global existential threat – oscillating between narratives of unacceptable dominance and imminent collapse – it will not be surprising if new objections emerge to counter Pop Mart's expansion, curbing the growth of this new manifestation of China's soft power.
However, Western propaganda spin masters intent on countering China will have their work cut out for them.
Beyond lovable toys and blind boxes, a range of factors contribute to China's current position as the world's second-most influential nation, surpassing the UK in the 2025 Global Soft Power Index, with a record score of 72.8/100.
Multifaceted growth
This ascent reflects a multifaceted process spanning China's socioeconomic, cultural, political and technological development.
These achievements have challenged the conventional strategies used by Western critics to demonise China, such as sensationaling adverse reports, amplifying stories that arouse fear and insecurities and using clickbait as a propaganda tool. As a result, many are being forced to return to the drawing board.
Below is a list of the key drivers and manifestations of China's growing soft power:
0 Rising brand power: Ranked fifth for 'products and brands the world loves', Chinese brands such as BYD, TikTok and Huawei have driven a 23-fold increase in global brand value since 2008 (currently valued at US$1.4 trillion).
0 Entertainment exports: Blockbusters such as Ne Zha 2 (over US$2 billion in global box office) and gaming hits (for example, Black Myth: Wukong) amplify China's cultural reach, especially to the younger generation.
0 Digital platforms: TikTok (one billion users) and Xiaohongshu (RedNote) are reshaping global media consumption, contributing to China's 20-rank jump in 'easy to communicate with'.
0 Top global business attributes: China ranks first globally for 'ease of doing business' since 2020 and 'future growth potential' since 2022, reflecting its sustained economic attractiveness.
0 Belt and Road Initiative: BRI Infrastructure projects across over 100 countries have strengthened economic ties, boosting China's rank for 'good relations with other countries' considerably.
0 Global tech and green tech prowess: Ranked #2 for 'advanced in technology and innovation' and #3 for 'advanced in science', DeepSeek AI's launch triggered a US$969 billion selloff in US tech stocks, signalling China's capacity to reshape global tech markets. Just as favourably welcomed by most of the world are China's green tech products in electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels that make for a more environmentally sustainable world.
0 Sustainability and governance gains: Visitors to China have helped the country climb to a fifth place rank in 'sustainable cities/transport'. Despite Western efforts to discourage their citizens from travelling to China, those visiting have invariably described their stays as 'safe', 'well-governed' and 'trustworthy' – up 12 ranks. This contrasts with the US and UK, which declined in governance metrics. These favourable comments can also be found in Western tourists' feedback on Xinjiang and Tibet, where the British and American media continue to mislead their readership with unsubstantiated claims of repression against the Uyghur and Tibetan communities.
Last, but perhaps not least, is the rapid erosion of American soft power, a trend not yet fully reflected in the latest soft power rankings. However, the 2026 Global Soft Power Index is likely to underscore this decline.
Together with the Trump administration's tariff war against much of the world, which has spooked many countries, including traditional allies, several other factors are contributing to the shift in global soft power perceptions.
These include foreign aid cuts that have affected key US policy mouthpieces and lobbying arms, such as the Voice of America and the National Endowment for Democracy.
Additionally, the continuing internal political division and disarray, and declining reputation of the US as a reliable or trustworthy world leader are accelerating the shifting balance now taking place in global soft power perceptions and performance.
What next for China
What is evident is that China's non-state-driven soft power is starting to reshape markets, alliances and sociocultural norms worldwide, with audiences in the global south as well as in Europe rejecting Western narratives.
However, future success is not guaranteed. The anti-China stance adopted by Western governments and media is driven by a web of ideological bias, institutional incentives and geopolitical strategy.
A tactical recalibration appears to be taking place with new structural drivers – for example, regulations and legislation in the trade and commercial arenas – devised to sustain a distorted narrative framework.
This latest strategy impedes fair and balanced global understanding, and underscores the need for the emergence of diversified independent media ecosystems grounded in truth-seeking and empirical rigour that can take on the ideological fixation and new 'cold war' mindsets of media leaders from the West.
Lim Teck Ghee's Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
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'But we need more people to join in (the efforts), we need a lot more help to protect them (elephants),' he added.
