Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has been banned from performing in China, according to Beijing’s Culture Bureau.
In a statement, the ministry said it was not appropriate to allow in entertainers who have engaged in “bad behavior.”
“Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer,” it added.
The statement was issued in response to a question recently submitted by a user of the bureau’s website.
“We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve
his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the
public,” the statement said.
The pop star, who was allowed to tour China in 2013, joins a long list of
musicians who have found themselves similarly blacklisted. Most though,
like the British band Oasis and the US group Maroon 5, because of
perceived political statements, rather than on the grounds of bad behavior.
This hasn't been the first time the singer has caused controversy in Asia.
In
2014, Bieber caused upset on social media after he posted a photo of
himself visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
The
shrine honors fallen warriors and pays tribute to convicted war
criminals but in China and South Korea, the shrine is seen as a symbol
of Japan not being sorry for its empire's past.
But despite the
singer taking the photo down and apologizing, the Chinese were outraged.
Their foreign minister's spokesperson said he hoped the singer had left
Yasukuni with "a clear understanding of Japan's history of invasion and
militarism, and of the source of Japan's militarism".
Justin
Bieber will be performing in Asia as part of his Purpose World Tour from
September, and will be playing in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines,
Singapore and Indonesia.
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