“Fast & Furious 9” star John Cena made a U-turn Tuesday,
apologising to Chinese fans after he called Taiwan a “country” and sparked
outrage in the world’s largest movie market.
Beijing sees democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its
territory which is to be seized one day, by force if necessary, and rages at
any diplomatic attempts to recognise the island as an independent nation.
But American wrestling star turned actor Cena left his
diplomatic lane during a trip to Taiwan in early May to promote the franchise
of action movies about fast cars, making the “country” comment during a fan
meet.
On Tuesday, as outrage billowed across China’s social media,
he released an apology on the Weibo platform in conversational-level Mandarin.
“I did many, many interviews for Fast & Furious 9, and I
made a mistake during one interview,” Cena said in the video, without repeating
the controversial term.
“I must say, which is very very important, that I love and
respect China and Chinese people. I’m very, very sorry for my mistake. I
apologise.”
The video was played 2.4 million times on the
strictly-controlled social media site, while Chinese media leapt on the
apology.
Fast & Furious 9 smashed through the box office during
its May 21 release in China last weekend, raking in $148 million, according to
the nationalist Global Times newspaper.
But social media users appeared only partially appeased.
“Please say ‘Taiwan is part of China’ in Chinese, or we
won’t accept it,” said one Weibo handle, while another lamented the American’s
apparent lack of knowledge that “Taiwan is an integral part of China”.
China’s vast consumer market has in recent years been
weaponised against critics of Beijing.
Entities including the NBA and global fashion giants have
faced boycotts and a battering on social media for speaking out on rights
abuses or political issues China deems off-limits.
AFP
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