Fact-check: Commemorative dragon had China, Malaysia flags

 

A mega dragon dance performance in Malacca on Feb 1 has set social media abuzz with viral posts implying a sovereignty issue involving China.

This is after a short clip showing the 200m dragon displaying a row of China flags on its left side, was circulated by individuals with large followings on social media.

This includes PAS’ Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who in a Facebook post yesterday highlighted how the dragon carried the China flag.

However, checks found that a row of Jalur Gemilang was also displayed on the left side of the dragon, although this was not included in the viral clip.

The dragon was part of an event to commemorate 50 years of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations, according to a news report published by state media outlet Melaka TV on TikTok on Feb 2.

Held at Jonker Walk in Malacca on Feb 1, the occasion saw some 170 schoolchildren from China and Malaysia collaborating to dance, by carrying the 60kg dragon through Jonker Walk.

Record-breaking event

The spectacle was recorded in the Malaysian Book of Records, Malacca deputy exco for tourism, heritage, arts and culture, Zaidi Attan said.

Schoolchildren from China also performed another traditional dance while schoolchildren from Malaysia performed a traditional dance from the Portuguese community, as a nod to Malacca's heritage.

“This relationship (between China and Malaysia) must be strengthened and the state government welcomes this cooperation,” he said, thanking the China embassy’s participation in the event.

The PAS MP’s post attracted some 900 comments and was viewed 11,000 times, while other posts on social media showing the excerpt with only China flags have been viewed more than 170,000 times.

One user, Salim Iskandar, shared the excerpt on X and asked: “Is this in Guangzhou? Because there are China flags displayed right?” He also said the display made him feel “sad”.

Salim, who has 11,400 followers on X, often posts content against the Madani government and its allies.

However, not all social media users bought into what was implied by Fadhli and Salim. Many also condemned them for not showing that the dragon had Malaysian flags on the other side, while others urged them to delete the posts, which gave false impressions.

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