Chinese singer says "Taipei, China", denied entry to Taiwan
Aug 25, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], August 26 : A Chinese singer who was set to perform in Taiwan in mid-September had his entry application denied by the Taiwanese authorities after he used the term "Taipei, China" in his promotional materials, Focus Taiwan reported, citing local media on Sunday.
Wang Yitai, a rapper from the Cheng Du Corporation rap label with over 5 million fans on Weibo (a social media platform in China), was originally scheduled to hold his first solo concert in Taipei on September 14-15 as part of his tour following the release of his third album, Love Me Later, according to information from the ticketing website KKTIX.
The tickets for the September 14 concert, priced between New Taiwan Dollar (NTD) 1,190 (USD 37.43) and NTD 2,900 (USD 91.23), were completely sold out as of 8 pm (local time) on Saturday. But some tickets were still available for the concert on September 1, the ticketing website showed.
Taiwan's government agencies, including the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), found that Wang had posted promotional images on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, featuring a signboard with "Beijing South Station: Beijing to Taipei, China" in the background, along with a caption in the post stating, "Next stop: Taipei, China," local newspaper, Liberty Times reported.
The official investigation also found that sales for Wang's Taipei concert began on July 1, which was before the concert organiser applied for Wang's entry with Taiwan's government on July 10, according to the report.
In response to the report, Taiwan's MAC said on Sunday that Wang's promotional content had violated the "Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area," and that relevant authorities had held a cross-ministerial review and, per the law, decided to deny his application, Focus Taiwan reported.
Taiwan's government welcomes mainland Chinese artists performing in Taiwan and is pleased to see cross-strait exchanges through music, but such exchanges should be conducted under the principles of equality and mutual respect, the MAC said.
"Any publication or promotion that degrades Taiwan's status is unacceptable," the council added.
