John Cena apologizes for referring to Taiwan as a country, says he loves China

(Image credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

published 25 May 2021

John Cena is apologizing to China for his "mistake" after sparking backlash there for referring to Taiwan as a country.

While promoting the latest Fast & Furious film that he stars in, the wrestler and actor referenced Taiwan as being the "first country" that can watch the movie, sparking a firestorm in China, as Beijing considers Taiwan its territory, Bloomberg reports. Cena on Tuesday apologized via a video posted on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

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Some in China weren't satisfied with Cena's apology, according to CNN, with one person writing, "Please say 'Taiwan is part of China' in Chinese, otherwise we will not accept." Another person wrote that China shouldn't "be so tolerant to him, who has a vague political stance while profiting from Chinese people," though another came to Cena's defense, saying, "Looking at his previous interviews, I can feel that he really likes China."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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