logo
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou joins Chinese platform Douyin

Taiwanese singer Jay Chou joins Chinese platform Douyin

Straits Times10-07-2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Jay Chou started an account on the short video platform Douyin under the name 'Classmate Chou' on July 9.
Mandopop star Jay Chou has finally joined Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
The 46-year-old started an account on the short video platform under the name 'Classmate Chou' on July 9 at 11am.
According to the Chinese media, the number of followers exceeded one million in one hour, even though the Taiwanese singer has not posted any videos. That number jumped to more than 11 million by the afternoon of July 10.
There were rumours online on July 9 that Douyin had spent a nine-figure sum to get Chou to join, but they were refuted by the platform, reported Chinese news site Guancha .
Chou's presence on Douyi n provided a boost to Star Plus Legend, a company co-founded by his mother Yeh Hui-mei and closely linked with the singer.
According to Hong Kong Economic Journal, the company's shares surged more than 1.6 times on July 9 to a high of HK$17 (S$2.77) at one point before closing at HK$12.44.
Chou's Douyin account i s his second Chinese-language social media account. In 2020, he set up an account on Chinese short video platform Kuaishou, considered a rival to Douyin. The Kuaishou account has about 48 million followers, but Chou has not updated it in more than three months.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties
Singapore HDB flats less attainable in 2024 compared with 2022: Report
Singapore PAP appoints new heads of backbench parliamentary committees
Sport No pain, no gain for Singapore's water polo teams at the world championships
World 'Do some homework': 6 key exchanges between US Senator Duckworth and S'pore envoy nominee Sinha
Singapore New regional centre for sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific launched in Singapore
Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite?
Business Fresh grads should 'stay calm' in job search; uptick in hiring seen: Tan See Leng
The singer is also on Instagram and Facebook, where he has about 10.4 million and 4.3 million followers respectively.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US, China to Seek Extension of Tariff Truce, Trump to Have Final Say
US, China to Seek Extension of Tariff Truce, Trump to Have Final Say

CNA

timean hour ago

  • CNA

US, China to Seek Extension of Tariff Truce, Trump to Have Final Say

STOCKHOLM: US and Chinese officials agreed on Tuesday (Jul 29) to seek an extension of their 90-day tariff truce following two days of talks in Stockholm, aimed at defusing a trade war between the world's two biggest economies that has rattled global markets. No major breakthroughs were announced, and US officials said it would be up to President Donald Trump to decide whether to extend the truce that expires on Aug 12 or allow tariffs to return to triple-digit levels. POSITIVE TALKS IN SWEDEN US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that another 90-day extension was one option being considered. 'We'll report back to him the process we had here. We had constructive meetings for sure,' US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said after talks at Rosenbad, the Swedish prime minister's office. Bessent added that there would likely be another round of talks in about 90 days and said discussions on restoring the flow of Chinese rare earth minerals, halted during previous disputes, were becoming more refined after earlier meetings in Geneva and London. 'There was good personal interaction being built up, good, mutual respect. I think we understand their agenda much better,' he said. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had just spoken with Bessent, who described the meeting with Chinese officials as 'very good'. 'He felt very good about the meeting, better than he felt yesterday,' Trump said as he returned to Washington after a five-day visit to Scotland. CHINA'S POSITION AND FUTURE TALKS China's top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said both sides recognized the importance of maintaining a stable economic relationship. 'The Chinese and US economic and trade teams will maintain active communication and continue to promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations,' Li said. The talks could set the stage for a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year, though Trump denied actively seeking one. US officials have pressed China to shift away from a state-led, export-driven economy to one powered by domestic consumption. China, for its part, says US national security export controls are designed to stifle its growth, while Washington argues China's model floods world markets with cheap goods. EU DEAL AND INDIA COMMENT The Stockholm talks followed Trump's agreement with the European Union on Sunday for a 15 per cent tariff on most EU goods exported to the US, which France criticised as a 'submission'. Germany also warned of 'significant' economic damage from the deal. Analysts say China, with its grip on global rare earth supplies, can afford to wait out talks longer than the EU, which relies more heavily on US security ties. When asked about a possible trade deal with India, another major trading partner, Trump said no agreement had been finalised and noted that India imposes higher tariffs than most other countries. The International Monetary Fund has warned that the expiry of the tariff truce without an agreement could disrupt global supply chains and weigh on economic growth.

Trump says Russia faces tariffs in 10 days if no progress on ending Ukraine war
Trump says Russia faces tariffs in 10 days if no progress on ending Ukraine war

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Trump says Russia faces tariffs in 10 days if no progress on ending Ukraine war

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia "10 days from today" if Moscow showed no progress toward ending its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine. Trump first announced on Monday that he was shortening the initial 50-day deadline he set a month ago for action from Moscow, and mentioned a new deadline of 10 to 12 days. On Tuesday, he told reporters he had not heard a response from Russia. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he was not worried about the potential impact of Russian sanctions on the oil market or prices, vowing to boost domestic oil production to offset any impact. "I don't know if it's going to affect Russia, because (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants to, obviously, probably keep the war going," Trump said. "But we're going to put on tariffs and the various things that you put on." The U.S. president, who has in the past spoken about having a good relationship with Putin, has grown increasingly frustrated with Moscow's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. The fresh deadline suggests Trump is prepared to move forward on his threat of sanctions, after previously hesitating on doing so. Speaking in Scotland on Monday, he threatened sanctions on both Russia and buyers of its exports - also known as secondary sanctions - unless progress is made. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that he raised the issue of secondary sanctions with Chinese officials during two days of bilateral talks this week. He said he told Chinese officials that Beijing could face high tariffs if it continued its Russian oil purchases. In a post on X, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Putin, said Trump was playing "a game of ultimatums" that could lead to a war involving the United States. Trump, who is also struggling to achieve a peace deal in Gaza, has touted his role in ending conflicts between India and Pakistan as well as Rwanda and Congo. Before returning to the White House in January, Trump campaigned on a promise to end Russia's conflict with Ukraine in a day. REUTERS

'Ugly' windmills, 'nasty' London mayor and golf: moments from Trump UK trip
'Ugly' windmills, 'nasty' London mayor and golf: moments from Trump UK trip

Straits Times

time3 hours ago

  • Straits Times

'Ugly' windmills, 'nasty' London mayor and golf: moments from Trump UK trip

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Eric Trump applauds as US President Donald Trump tees off, on the day of the grand opening of Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen in Balmedie, Aberdeen. BALMEDIE, United Kingdom - US President Donald Trump spent five days in Scotland, playing golf, sealing a major trade deal with the EU and weighing in on global conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine. Here are five talking points from his visit: Golf diplomacy Trump's luxury golf courses in Scotland became impromptu hubs for international diplomacy, in a blatant blurring of politics and his family's personal interests. In front of the world's media, Trump and his son Eric showcased their new golf course opened on July 29 in Balmedie, northeastern Scotland. Eric Trump hailed the new course as his father's 'Mona Lisa' masterpiece. The two courses at Balmedie would be 'the greatest 36 holes anywhere on earth', he said, before they teed off with a stunning view as a backdrop. The US leader also spent time showing off the restored ballroom in his Turnberry resort on the southwestern Scottish coast, where he sealed a deal setting 15-per cent tariffs on EU exports to the States. Gaza and Ukraine Perhaps it was the fresh Scottish air, but Trump signalled sudden shifts in his positions on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine during a long, rambling press conference on Monday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Having sought since the start of his second term to end the international isolation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US leader declared he was now 'not so interested in talking (to him) anymore'. He gave the Russian leader 10 to 12 days to end the war in Ukraine, slashing a 50-day deadline set on July 14. And he contradicted his staunch ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying there was 'real starvation' in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas militants. Trump announced the United States was setting up food centres in the Palestinian territory, adding: 'We have to get the kids fed.' Starmer charmer Trump has been known to publicly castigate some world leaders, notably Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an Oval Office dressing down in February. But he was oozing charm after waiting on the steps of his ornate Turnberry resort like the lord of the manor to greet Keir Starmer on Monday. 'We want to make the prime minister happy,' Trump proclaimed. He also lavished praise on Starmer's wife, Victoria, who accompanied the UK premier, calling her the 'First Lady'. 'She's a respected person all over the United States,' Trump said, musing that he had better not say more or he would get himself 'into trouble'. Starmer was later treated to a flight on Air Force One and the presidential helicopter Marine One – a rare privilege for foreign leaders. 'Windmills' Trump hates 'windmills', fuming at the power-generating turbines erected off the coast of his two Scottish golf resorts, which he says spoil the view. He has fought for years against a new wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen. 'It destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains and your waterways,' Trump said, denouncing the 'ugly monsters all over the place' while advocating for oil and gas power. But Starmer, whose government has committed to reach net zero in carbon gas emissions by 2050, calmly replied: 'We believe in a mix.' 'Obviously, oil and gas is going to be with us for a very long time, and that'll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear,' he said. UK politics The US leader dismissed London mayor Sadiq Khan as 'a nasty person' when asked whether he would visit London during his state visit set for September, following a long-running feud. Starmer offered a defence of sorts, telling the US leader: 'He's a friend of mine, actually.' But doubling down, Trump concluded: 'I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.' Almost in the same breath he gave a thumbs-up to Starmer's political rival, Nigel Farage, whose anti-immigrant party Reform UK is surging in the polls, pushing Labour into second place. 'I happen to like both men. I like this man a lot, and I like Nigel,' Trump said, adding: 'They're both good men,' but admitting: 'I don't know the politics over here.' He also addressed the bitter debate about thousands of irregular migrants arriving in the UK on small boats across the Channel. Starmer was 'doing a fantastic thing' if he was tackling immigration, Trump said, highlighting his own crackdown on migrants crossing into the United States over the Mexico border. 'I know nothing about the boats,' Trump acknowledged, before adding: 'The boats are loaded up with bad people... because, you know, other countries don't send their best, they send people that they don't want.' AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store