While Beijing has been showing off its latest military hardware to an array of international leaders, Chinese cultural icons are making their mark with a very different audience.
Author
- Tom Harper
Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London
At Naomi Osaka's opening match at the US Open, she had a Labubu attached to her racket bag as she walked on to court which attracted a lot of attention. After the match she told reporters that the doll was a tribute to Billie Jean King (it has big BJK trademark glasses and she calls it Billie Jean Bling).
One of the most notable symbols of the increasing global reach of China's popular culture is the popularity of the Labubu , a collectable toy with rabbit ears and a grin. Rihanna, David Beckham and Blackpink's Lisa are among the celebrities photographed with a Labubu doll.
While the doll has been on the market for a few years, sales really took off in 2025. The doll's Chinese manufacturer, Pop Mart , saw toys from The Monsters franchise, primarily the character Labubu, create US$670 million (£498 million) in revenue in the first six months of 2025 , a 668% increase compared to the same period in 2024. And about 40% of its toy sales were outside China.
There have even been fights over the doll in the UK , which led to Pop Mart temporarily suspending sales of the doll at its UK stores.
Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, said that Labubu "shows the appeal of Chinese creativity, quality and culture in a language the world can understand".
Chinese pop culture is also starting to be more influential in the video game industry. For instance, Black Myth Wukong, a retelling of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, sold 10 million copies within three days of its 2024 launch. A follow up, Black Myth Zhong Kui, was quickly announced by developer Game Science.
Changing global images
The popularity of these cultural trends could have benefits for China's soft power , a theory of how countries can influence other nations, or change their international image, by using culture, rather than military power or conflict.
This concept was first detailed by the late US academic Joseph Nye in the late 1980s. China may be looking to follow in the footsteps of soft power titans such as Japan and South Korea, which have had some success creating a different, more modern international image by exporting their pop culture.
Since 2010, the Japanese government has encouraged the spread of its pop culture outside its national borders under the "Cool Japan" initiative. A particular style of Japanese comics (manga) and stylised cartoons (anime) gained international popularity, spreading a different image of what modern Japan was, while delivering significant economic benefits.
These kinds of modern icons went some way to creating a more attractive image of the country, moving it away from the western concept of Japan, often based on its role as a hostile power in the second world war.
Soft power superstars
South Korea, another Asian soft power superstar, has been exporting its popular culture since the removal of censorship in the 1980s allowed for greater creativity in its cultural industries. The most notable examples have been the global popularity of K-pop, with streams of K-pop songs (online listens) exceeding 90 billion in 2023.
South Korea has also used its K-pop music in its relationship with North Korea, with artists such as Girls' Generation and Bigbang gaining popularity in the communist state through recordings smuggled over the border.
Meanwhile, South Korean dramas, such as Squid Game , won large worldwide audiences, with the first season receiving 265 million views.
These initiatives have allowed Japan and South Korea to increase their influence in global affairs, to connect with huge audiences and to reshape and modernise their national image.
What's changed?
Labubu and Black Myth Wukong have marked a break with more traditional forms of Chinese soft power influence, such as its programme to lend its pandas to zoos around the world.
Meanwhile, the share of people with a favourable view of China has increased since last year in 15 of the 25 countries surveyed by Pew Research . Overall 54% still have an unfavourable opinion (down from 61% in 2024), compared with 36% having a favourable view (31% in 2024).
Other Pew data shows that younger Americans (aged 18 to 29) are less likely to view China as an enemy (19%), compared to those aged 65 and older (47%). Overall, the percentage of Americans who see China as an enemy has fallen to 33% in 2025 from 42% in 2024.
What this means for Taiwan
Chinese pop culture is also making inroads into the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.
Taiwanese pop culture was popular in mainland China in the 1990s and early 2000s, with music from Jay Chou and S.H.E. being regularly featured on Chinese radio. More recently, the Chinese dance craze Subject Three , inspired by a traditional Chinese wedding dance, took off in Taiwan as well as on global TikTok and YouTube. There is also growing use of Chinese social media platforms, such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, among younger Taiwanese.
This has coincided with a wider push by Beijing to make China more attractive to younger Taiwanese people, including offering them financial incentives to move to China to work.
2025 was the year that Chinese pop culture reached big new audiences. China's most successful exports, such as Labubu, may now join anime and K-pop as enduring global phenomena with lasting cultural influence.
Tom Harper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
