Sex, shame and the ‘national dignity' trap in China
A university expulsion has sparked a national debate over gender, nationalism and the limits of personal freedom in China.
In the past two weeks, Chinese social media has been roiled by a polarising cultural debate over a university's decision to expel a female student for having 'improper relations with a foreigner' and 'damaging national dignity'.
The incident centred on viral videos of a young Chinese woman appearing to be intimate with Ukrainian e-sports player Danylo Teslenko, who posted them in December 2024 on his Telegram channel, which has over 40,000 subscribers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
33 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Major Ukrainian drone attacks sow chaos at Moscow's airports
Find out what's new on ST website and app. MOSCOW - Major Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia sowed chaos at major airports serving Moscow on Monday, with thousands of passengers waiting in lines or sleeping on the floor after flights were cancelled or delayed, Russian media reported. Videos published by Russian media showed people sleeping on the floor of Sheremetyevo, Russia's busiest airport by passenger numbers, amid long queues. Russia's defence ministry said it had downed 117 drones overnight, including 30 over the Moscow region, after downing 172 drones, including 30 over the Moscow region, the previous day. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, briefly imposed restrictions on flights overnight at Moscow's main airports - Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovskiy. Several thousand people were stranded in the far east of Russia due to the cancellation of flights in European Russia, while extra trains were put on to bring passengers back to Moscow from the northern Russian city of St Petersburg, Russian media said. Moscow and its surrounding region has a population of at least 21.5 million. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
China stops US commerce employee from leaving, reports say
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The US Commerce Department employee, an American citizen, had travelled to meet relatives, the Washington Post said. China has stopped an American citizen who works for the US Commerce Department from leaving the nation for several months, according to media reports – an episode that coincides with Beijing and Washington trying to arrange a leaders' summit so they can address their differences on trade. The Chinese-American individual who works for the Patent and Trademark Office had travelled to meet relatives, the Washington Post reported, citing four people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue. The US sent a very high-level message to Beijing to let the man depart, the newspaper added, citing one person. It said it didn't know the name of the man facing a so-called exit ban, which was put in place over an apparent failure to disclose on a visa application that he worked for the US government. Officials from Beijing and Washington – including in the Commerce Department – are negotiating a trade deal after US President Donald Trump hit goods from China with heavy tariffs that he later paused. Mr Trump also wants a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to sort through their problems, which also touch on technology curbs, rare earths and the status of Taiwan. To get the sitdown and a trade pact, Mr Trump has recently softened his harsh campaign rhetoric that focused on the US's massive trade deficit with China and resulting job losses. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Mr Wang Yi, that there was 'a strong desire on both sides' for a Xi-Trump meeting. The outlook for such a meeting could be complicated if the episode involving the employee of the US Commerce Department escalates. The man, a veteran of the US army, was detained when he arrived in the southwestern city of Chengdu in April, the South China Morning Post reported on July 20 , citing a person familiar with the situation. He was being prevented from leaving China because his case was 'related to actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security,' the newspaper reported, though the specifics couldn't be confirmed. Since the man arrived in Chengdu, he had also traveled to the Chinese capital with a US official, the newspaper reported. The Patent and Trademark Office the man works for handles US patents and registers trademarks. It says on its website that its 'mission is to drive US innovation and global competitiveness'. A spokesperson US Embassy in Beijing said that its 'highest priority is the safety and security of US citizens overseas'. It added that 'we track these cases closely, and have raised our concern with Chinese authorities about the impact these arbitrary exit bans have on our bilateral relations and urged them to immediately allow impacted US citizens to return home'. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing didn't respond to a request for comment. China's use of exit bans has been a point of contention between Beijing and Washington in recent years. The US State Department has repeatedly advised citizens to reconsider travel to China based on what it called the 'arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans'. Wells Fargo recently suspended travel to the world's second-biggest economy after one of its top trade financing bankers was blocked from leaving. Ms Chenyue Mao, an Atlanta-based managing director who was born in Shanghai, was banned from departing after entering China in recent weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The case underscores multinational companies' fears about the risks of operating in China, especially in regard to staff safety and restrictions on movement. Among notable cases in recent years, the Wall Street Journal in 2023 reported a senior executive at US risk advisory firm Kroll was prevented from leaving China. In 2019, Bloomberg reported that a UBS Group AG wealth manager was detained for about three months before returning home. An academic analysis published in 2022, based on data from six governments, found 128 cases of foreign citizens facing Chinese exit bans, with at least a third of the cases driven by business disputes. Chinese law prohibits people suspected of crimes from leaving the country. Chinese citizens judged to have endangered national security can also face exit bans under the country's recently updated espionage law. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
China confirms Xi meeting with EU's von der Leyen, Costa
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Chinese President Xi Jinping takes past in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at an airport in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. Alexander Vilf/Host agency Ria Novosti/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo BEIJING - China confirmed on Monday it will hold a top-level summit with the European Union in Beijing this week marking 50 years of diplomatic ties as both sides seek to navigate trade disputes amid broader global trade uncertainties. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will visit China on Thursday and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. China's Premier Li Qiang will be co-chairing the 25th China-EU summit with the EU leaders the same day. The meeting comes as global trade frictions heat up, with Beijing seeking to secure closer economic and political ties with the bloc to hedge against uncertainties in its relations with the United States. EU-China relations deteriorated sharply in 2021 when Brussels sanctioned Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, a move that saw swift retaliatory sanctions from Beijing, halting much of bilateral exchanges. Relations have also been marred by various trade disputes in recent years, including those over Chinese-made electric vehicles, European brandy and pork, government purchases of medical devices, and rare earths. In a recent speech, von der Leyen praised China's economic progress but said the country had flooded global markets with its overcapacity, limited access to its market, and de-facto enabled Russia's war economy. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Risk of flash floods in parts of central and eastern Singapore: PUB Singapore Malaysia-bound motorists urged to avoid Tuas Second Link on July 23 due to chemical spill exercise Singapore Trial of new dengue vaccine begins recruitment for child participants in Singapore Singapore Witness stand not arena for humiliation in sex offence cases, judge reminds lawyers Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Business Bigger, quieter, greener: High-volume low-speed fans see rising demand in warming Singapore Business Singapore dollar faces downward pressure from US tariffs, expected policy shift Asia Japan PM Ishiba under siege after ruling coalition loses Upper House majority The bloc, which calls China "a partner for cooperation, an economic competitor and a systemic rival," has also said it saw the need to thaw ties amid global trade uncertainties. After U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, von der Leyen told China's Premier Li in a phone call that it was EU and China's responsibility "to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field." REUTERS
