Beijing isn't happy that Kenny G went to the Hong Kong protests


Iconic saxophone player and jazz musician Kenny G has quite a following in China — but his fans don't include the country's government in Beijing.
Kenny G tweeted a photo of himself at Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests on Wednesday. Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, stressed at a press conference Wednesday that the government considers the Occupy Central movement illegal.
"Kenny G's musical works are widely popular in China, but China's position on the illegal Occupy Central activities in Hong Kong is very clear," Chunying said. "We hope that foreign governments and individuals speak and act cautiously and not support the Occupy Central and other illegal activities in any form."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Update: After Beijing's statement, Kenny G clarified his original tweet. Kenny G noted that he was "not trying to defy the Chinese government" and had "happened to come across the protest zone while walking around Hong Kong as a tourist," according to The Associated Press."I am not supporting the demonstrators as I don't really know anything about the situation," Kenny G later tweeted. "I only wanted to share my wish for Peace for Hong Kong and for all of China."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'