When asked what she thought might be the fate of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the girl said: “Just think about Liu Cong.”

Liu was the governor of Jing who had yielded the province to Cao. In the novel, Cao made Liu an official only to later have him killed in an ambush.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teddy Locsin Jnr saw the video and was so impressed that he tweeted it, and the Chinese media reported that he was thinking of sending his granddaughter to study in China.

Danny Huang, Chongqing

Putin’s last laugh over oil and gas sanctions

The Western world has threatened to impose further sanctions on Russia for its continued war on Ukraine.

Almost all Western nations stand with the United States in a mighty display of disapproval of Russia, and the sanctions imposed so far are meant to economically isolate Russia and punish it.

Yet President Vladimir Putin hardly appears to be shaken. Why? Has Russia won the war in Ukraine?

It hasn’t. But sky-high oil and gas prices mean that even as Russia sells less to Europe and the US, its revenues continue to soar. Globally, its oil exports are even thought to have risen last month, despite the sanctions.

On the one hand, the leaders of the Western world are talking about standing together to punish Russia. On the other hand, it also appears to be business as usual.

It’s all about the economy.

Randy Lee, Ma On Shan