China bans Katy Perry indefinitely over her 2015 Taiwan concert

By Lobsang Tenchoe

DHARAMSALA, Nov 17: American singer and song writer, Katy Perry has become the latest celebrity to be banned from China.

The 33-year-old American pop star who was set to perform at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai on Nov 28, has been ‘banned indefinitely’ from China over her controversial 2015 Taiwan concert, reports Page Six.

Much to the dismay of Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its renegade province, Katy Perry was spotted wearing a Taiwanese flag on top of her sunflower gown during her 2015 concert at Taipei Arena in Taiwan.

Her outfit caused a widespread outrage in China because the sunflower was symbolic of the 2015 Sunflower Student Movement, a protest movement driven by a coalition of students and civic groups over a Chinese trade agreement in 2014.

“While she was initially informed that she’d be able to gain access, the decision was apparently reversed after the government caught wind of a controversial incident from 2015,” the report added.

Katy Perry now joins the elite list of celebrities banned from China which includes Richard Gere, Selena Gomez, Maroon 5, Bon Jovi, Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, Hollywood actor Harrison Ford and Noted film maker Martin Scorsese.