Taiwan bans mainland rapper for describing island as part of China

Wang Yitai was banned from entering after he said he would be holding two concerts in ‘Taipei, China’ next month

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Mainland Chinese rapper Wang Yitai was refused permission to enter Taiwan. Photo: AP

Published: 7:32pm, 26 Aug 2024Updated: 8:49pm, 26 Aug 2024

Taiwan has banned a popular mainland Chinese rapper from performing in Taipei for referring to the island as “Taipei, China” in promotional materials.

The ban on Wang Yitai came days after Taiwan condemned the mainland for using economic coercion and nationalistic sentiment to “bully” the Taipei-based conglomerate Evergreen Group over the refusal of a hotel it owned in Paris to fly the Chinese flag during the Olympics.

Wang was planning to hold concerts in Taipei on September 14 and 15, but the Taiwanese authorities denied him permission to enter on the grounds that his promotional materials violated local laws by using the term “Taipei, China”.

Wang posted a series of promotional photos on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, showing him sitting on a bench in front of a signboard reading “Beijing South Station: Beijing to Taipei, China,” along with a caption that said “Next stop: Taipei, China”.

Wang’s post also said: “Head south towards the Tropic of Cancer and there will be a return in the end”, a reference seen by the Taiwanese authorities as hinting at reunification.

“The content of this mainland Chinese singer’s promotional materials violates the ‘Regulations on the Entry of Mainland Chinese Citizens into Taiwan Area’. After cross-departmental discussions, the relevant authorities have decided not to grant approval for his entry in accordance with the law,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Monday.