How Beijing's propaganda is hurting my relationship with my Chinese grandparents

Our conversations are ever more fraught as Chinese state media pushes Putin's war in Ukraine

Xi Jinping.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

"Strategic" and "exemplary" are hardly ever used to describe Russian President Vladmir Putin — unless we're talking about the Chinese internet. While Putin is met with condemnation from the West, he's winning wild cheers in China.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, China has broken away from other world powers and taken a comparatively pro-Putin stance on the war. Western nations such as the United States and Canada as well as private companies from McDonald's to Volkswagen have been quick to sever many financial ties to Russia that could aid its war effort.

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Sophia Li

Sophia Li is an American-based freelance writer. Raised in a fully immigrant household, she writes about our society's cultural problems. She has previously written for many international magazines, such as Global Comment and Broadview.