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."
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.
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign



