U.S. actor and former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. champion John Cena apologized for describing Taiwan as a country in a promotional video for his latest movie, saying sorry in Mandarin after the comments triggered a backlash in China.
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."
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.
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.
In a clip posted to his official Weibo account, Fast & Furious star John Cena apologised for calling Taiwan a country in a promotional video for his latest movie – a mea culpa that drew flak both in China and the United States.
Cena is the latest high-profile westerner to come under fire for publicly crossing China’s political lines, amid a boycott of some U.S. and Europe-based brands that had taken a stand against the treatment of Muslim Uyghurs in China’s far west Xinjiang region.
Hennes & Mauritz AB faced ire in recent months after a statement it made expressing concern over reports of forced labor in Xinjiang resurfaced. Its Chinese outlets disappeared from Apple and Baidu Maps searches, and some stores in smaller cities were closed by landlords.
English Premier League soccer team Arsenal Football Club Plc drew a backlash in 2019 after one of its then-star players criticized China’s treatment of the Uyghurs.
The U.S.’s National Basketball Association also angered Beijing after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.