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Singapore is not China and the problem with equating race with allegiance
TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi’s grilling and the news of a naturalised Singapore citizen designated as a politically sensitive person raise important issues around ethnicity and allegiances.
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Mr Chew Shou Zi, the chief executive of TikTok, testifies during a Senate judiciary committee hearing in Washington on Jan 31, 2024.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Leong Chan-Hoong
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People confuse nationality and national allegiances.
The former defines formal membership of a state with geographical parameters. National allegiance on the other hand refers to the affective bond between the individual and the state.
