The American star of the action film
Fast and Furious 9
John Cena posted a short video on Tuesday on Chinese social networks to apologize for calling Taiwan a
"country"
, much to the anger of Chinese internet users. The wrestler turned actor made the remarks during a meeting with fans held on the island earlier this month, on the occasion of the promotion of the last episode of the saga. China claims the island of Taiwan, which it considers one of its provinces, and threatens to use force if the island is officially declared independent.
"I gave a lot, a lot of interviews for
Fast and Furious 9
and I made a mistake during an interview"
, pleads in Mandarin John Cena, in a video released Tuesday on the Chinese social network Weibo.
“I have to say, and this is very, very important, that I love and respect China and the Chinese people.
I'm really, really sorry for my mistake.
I apologize, ”
he continues, in a sequence viewed more than two million times.
Read also: Taiwan crystallizes the tensions between Beijing and Washington
These regrets did not convince everyone.
"You must declare in Chinese that 'Taiwan is part of China' or we will not accept"
these excuses, retorts a net surfer.
They also provoked the indignation of part of the American political class, accusing the actor of muzzling, for the benefit of Beijing.
“A world where the Chinese Communist Party controls what Americans can say is not some sort of nightmarish, obscure threat.
This is the present ”
, lambasted Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
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Fast and Furious,
it's (almost) over
Fast and Furious 9
made a sensational debut at the world's largest Chinese box office, raising $ 148 million last weekend. The subject of Taiwan is sensitive in the eyes of Beijing, which does not hesitate to use its vast domestic market as a means of pressure against major international brands. In the past, the NBA or luxury giants have been the victims of boycotts and the anger of Chinese Internet users for having addressed the issue of human rights or subjects that the communist regime considers sensitive.
