An Iraqi journalist, who is also an online celebrity in China and was once praised by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, has become engaged to a woman from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Ameen Muneer Mohammed Al-Obaidi, who is better known by his Chinese name, Fang Haoming, boasts about 5 million followers on social media.

He works as a China correspondent for the Dubai-based China-Arab TV.

Fang, 26, joined other foreign journalists to perform the popular Subject Three street dance at a Spring Festival gala event organised by China’s Foreign Ministry in February 2024.

As videos of their dance went viral, Fang was even recognised by the foreign minister Wang Yi, who said to him at a press conference: “Are you the young guy who danced the Subject Three? I saw the videos about you. Will you continue to dance?”