Official urges singer to be careful with China

• By Chen Yu-fu and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Yielding to political pressure in exchange for access to China’s entertainment industry rarely ends well, a Straits Exchange Foundation official said yesterday amid rumors that China is seeking to lure Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜).

Chou, who goes by Tzuyu, is the only Taiwanese member of the girl group Twice.

Her contract with JYP Entertainment is set to expire at the end of this year, and there have been widespread rumors that she would not renew it.

She is reportedly planning to pursue a solo career under her parents’ agency, Yu Hai Entertainment, although China has also reportedly offered to help Tzuyu develop her career in China.

Chinese-language media have reported that China’s help would include access to broadcasting, concerts and talent agencies if she publicly endorses Beijing’s “one China” principle and says that “Taiwanese are Chinese.”

For the past decade, China has used threats and incentives to pressure Taiwanese entertainers to endorse its political positions, foundation Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said in an interview with the Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times).

Taiwanese artists in the Chinese market can have their work abruptly halted if they do not comply with government demands, while those who cooperate are rewarded with greater market access, Luo said.

However, those who cooperate tend to have career peaks that do not last long, he said, adding that China uses them and then discards them once they no longer have value.

China’s “united front” efforts target not only entertainers, but also politicians, influencers and media commentators, Luo said.

He criticized the legislature’s cutting of media and culture funding from the government budget, saying that lawmakers used to routinely call for more cultural funding and support for artists, regardless of which party was in power.

In a post on the paid fan platform Bubble, Chou asked her fans to wait patiently for news on her career plans and cheer her on rather than worry.

“I know there are all kinds of rumors circulating online, but even so, you’ve been willing to patiently wait for me until I can come back with new work,” she wrote.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Just cheering me on means so much to me. Your support gives me the strength to work harder and keep moving forward. I’m always so grateful to you all,” she said.

Additional reporting by Liao Li-hui