Chinese consumers keep buying beyond nationalist messaging
HONG KONG — In China, consumer choices increasingly appear to be driven by personal taste and perceived value, according to consumers and analysts cited by the Associated Press, even as relations with the United States and Japan remain strained. AP reported that despite the Chinese government’s periodic use of nationalist messaging and pressure on companies over perceived political missteps, many shoppers do not translate geopolitical disputes into broad, consistent consumer boycotts.
AP said it has been common for the ruling Communist Party to whip up nationalist sentiment and use propaganda that condemns countries seen as violating China’s stance on territorial issues such as Taiwan and Tibet. It also described past episodes where tensions with Japan and the United States led to calls for mass boycotts, street protests and other forms of harassment—such as vandalism of embassies or restaurants—aimed at symbols of foreign countries.
Jacob Cooke, CEO of Beijing-based consultancy WPIC Marketing + Technologies, told AP that Chinese consumers, especially urban middle-class and younger demographics, are not making everyday purchasing decisions based on nationalism. Cooke said consumers have grown more accustomed to making their own personal consumption choices even when diplomatic rhetoric becomes testy.
The report described a case of retail demand that suggests national messaging does not necessarily override brand appeal. It said huge crowds turned up in December for the opening of an outlet of Sushiro, a Japan-based conveyor-belt sushi chain, at a Shanghai mall. AP quoted 23-year-old university student Edith Xiao, who lined up outside a Sushiro restaurant in a Beijing mall for more than half an hour, saying, “The quality of the ingredients is guaranteed” and adding, “It tastes good.”
AP also reported that Xiao is a fan of the Japanese manga and anime series Chiikawa, whose character is popular in China. Xiao said the broader state of China-Japan relations had little impact on her own consumption of Japanese culture or restaurants, explaining that “It’s just statements made by leaders,” and that “It doesn’t represent a change in the attitude of people of the country.”
AP said consumer interest in American culture has similarly persisted despite political tensions. It cited Zootopia 2 as a hit in China, noting that the film became the highest grossing Hollywood movie in China on record with more than 4.4 billion yuan ($634 million) in revenue, according to Chinese entertainment data provider Beacon Pro. Shaun Rein, managing director at China Market Research Group, said many Chinese consumers are “tired, exhausted and anxious from COVID and from the weak economy,” and that people watch Hollywood movies—especially cartoons like Zootopia—because they “just want something to relax themselves.”
The AP report also described fashion as another area where brand image and lifestyle cues can matter more than national origin. It said Ralph Lauren is gaining favor with urban middle-class Chinese shoppers seeking quality and value over nationalism, citing analysts’ views. It quoted Zhang Tianyu shopping at a Ralph Lauren outlet in Beijing saying, “What attracts me most is its stable brand image and design.” Cooke told AP that American brands that are succeeding are doing so because they meet consumer needs or represent a lifestyle Chinese consumers want to associate with, rather than because of country-of-origin alone.
AP said the pattern reflects broader changes tied to China’s “guochao” trend—often translated as “national tide”—in which patriotic buying of Chinese brands has evolved and matured over time. Rein told AP that consumers have stopped buying only for the sake of buying Chinese brands, saying people are “scared about the economy” and anxious about job prospects, so they buy whatever fits their definition of value and lifestyle, whether domestic or foreign.
The report contrasted today’s more mixed purchasing behavior with earlier periods when nationalism was more directly expressed through consumer actions. AP said that in 2012, Chinese crowds gathered for anti-Japan protests over a territorial dispute, smashed Japanese brand cars and vandalized Japanese restaurants, with calls to shun Japanese goods. It also said that in 2021, Western brands including Nike were hit with boycotts in China due to political disputes such as Beijing’s treatment of members of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. More recently, AP cited online disputes that triggered anger on social media but did not lead to obvious broader repercussions.
Yaling Jiang, an independent Chinese consumer analyst, told AP that believing all Chinese consumers should follow Beijing’s direction of discarding foreign influence is “misleading,” adding that “Geopolitics does not dictate business flows on the local level.” Jiang said shoppers can mix and match to suit their tastes.
At the same time, AP reported limits to how far politics stays out of consumption. It said the rise of Chinese brands presents a challenge for foreign companies, particularly in categories such as electric vehicles, smartphones and athletic wear. Rein told AP that Chinese consumers will choose Chinese brands because they offer “better value, better quality, better pricing.” AP also described that after the government declared that travelers should avoid trips to Japan, employees of state-owned companies and government agencies and some travel agencies followed the guidance, leading to cancellations of flights and group tours.
The report added that the number of Chinese visitors to Japan fell 45% in December from a year earlier to about 330,400, while many Chinese continued to travel individually, often keeping a low profile on social media. AP said the episode illustrates that diplomatic measures can still affect behavior—but that the consumer base does not necessarily respond with the kind of broad, nationalism-driven shopping disruptions seen in past years.