Singapore: "Dear You," a small-budget independent film that grossed over 1.7 billion yuan in China, is sparking fierce criticism of cultural identity, dialects, and political influence in Singapore. This film, primarily shot in Teochew, tells the story of the ties and migrations of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia through "Qiaopi Letters," reflecting the shared history of many Singaporeans of Chinese descent.

According to Thai News Agency, this has led to social controversy and conflict in Singapore, stemming from the Entertainment and Information Development Authority (IMDA) mandating that the film be released generally only in the Mandarin-dubbed version, in line with the "Speak Mandarin Campaign" policy in place since 1979. The original Teochew version was restricted to special screenings and film festivals. However, younger generations and filmmakers in Singapore, such as Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, have called for a government review of the policy, arguing that the overly strict Mandarin policy is undermining the traditional identities and roots of their ancestors, such as Teochew, Hokkien, and Cantonese, causing the proportion of native speakers to decline from 70% to only 8.7% in 2020.

The film's popularity in Singapore resulted in a phenomenon where 4,800 tickets for the special Teochew-language screenings sold out within two hours. This prompted Singapore's Ministry of Information and Communications (MDDI) to compromise on policy and add more Teochew-language screenings, approving an additional 50 screenings of the original Teochew version to help preserve the cultural heritage and identity of Singaporeans of Chinese descent.

However, articles from Singapore's main Chinese-language daily newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao, and analysts suggest that this mainland Chinese-produced film may contain intellectual psychological operations or propaganda attempting to erase the line between Singaporean nationality and ethnic ties to China (re-sinicization) in order to attract Singaporeans of Chinese descent to align with Beijing's interests. Meanwhile, former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasized during a visit to Shanghai that although the majority of Singapore's population, around 76 percent, are of Chinese descent, Singapore is a sovereign, multicultural country, and its international relations are driven by the shared interests of its people, not by bloodline or ethnicity.