Originally published in the Eye on Digital China newsletter on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

The protests in France have been trending in China all week. The ways in which they are being discussed perhaps reveal more about Chinese views of France and Europe—and about China’s own place in the world today—than about the protests themselves. Here are five of the main narratives shaping the discussion.

Over the past week, the widespread protests and unrest in France have been trending on Chinese social media. From October 18 to today, turmoil in Paris and other cities consistently appeared in the top trending lists on Weibo, Kuaishou, and other apps, with Chinese netizens and commentators discussing the situation in various ways under numerous hashtags.

The topic remained trending all week not only because of the October 17–18 riots and their aftermath, but also because of the new round of protests on October 24, for which French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and the Chinese embassy in France issued new warnings.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at five dominant narratives surrounding the protests in France on Chinese social media, and what this says about Chinese perceptions of France and Europe, from common ideas about the decline of Europe to the protests being a form of “historical karma.”^[1]

1. “France Has Lost Control”: A Nation in Crisis

How can a developed country like France fail to maintain basic order? One dominant framing of the recent protests on Chinese social media is that they demonstrate the French state’s inability to keep the situation under control, indicating a crisis of governance and security.

One of the highest-ranking hashtags among more than 300 trending topics on Chinese social media apps related to the unrest in France is: “France is out of control” (法国失控了). Along with hashtags like “France is in chaos again,” that hashtag first came up last Sunday on Weibo during a weekend filled with looting, arson, destruction, and violence by groups of rioters in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, and elsewhere.

The perceived weakness of President Macron’s leadership was highlighted on Chinese social media through memes and jokes mocking the leader for attending a Celine Dion concert right before the situation escalated. A commentary on Sina compared the concert to company executives holding a celebration banquet and handing out bonuses just before the firm collapses, framing the riots as a “run on…

Originally published in the Eye on Digital China newsletter on Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Hello from rainy Yokohama. This week, I am doing some traveling around Japan, partly for work, partly for leisure, and having some time to visit historic sights and meet old friends. It’s been eight years since I last visited Japan, the country where I spent part of my high school days.

Since I’m writing to you from Japan, this edition is more Japan-focused than usual, with a particularly interesting contribution from Unseen Japan, the independent website and newsletter that I’ve followed and appreciated for years due to its deep dives and cultural analysis on modern Japan, often covering stories that mainstream English-language media overlooks. Give their newsletter a follow here.

🔎 This time in Tokyo, the lack of Chinese tourists was clear – something that was confirmed by Mr. Zhu, the friendly driver who met me at Narita Airport. He turned out to be a 40-something-year-old Chinese man from Harbin who once studied in Tokyo and then stayed here as a post-graduate.

Yicai reported earlier this week that during August, the second half of the summer travel season, 18 China–Japan air routes canceled all of their scheduled flights – a total of 1,120 flights from mainland China to Japan, a cancellation rate of 30% for a number of flights to Japan that was already down 53% compared to the year before.

According to my driver, the lack of Chinese visitors is partly because the current economy and more cautious spending are making Chinese tourists turn elsewhere, from domestic travel to other Southeast Asian destinations, from Vietnam to Malaysia, that have become more popular and affordable. The upcoming National…