TAIPEI, Taiwan – Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh sparked an online uproar with a reference in an Instagram post to the capital of self-ruled Taiwan suggesting it was part of China.
Taiwan, or the Republic of China, has been at odds with the mainland since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 and the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan, while Mao Zedong’s communist forces established the People’s Republic of China.
The island is not diplomatically recognized by most countries despite being a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people with its own borders, currency and government.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be brought into the fold, sentiment that the Malaysian actress appeared to endorse with her online comment.
“Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China,” Yeoh said in the Instagram post, referring to the jeweler Tiffany & Co after attending the opening of one of its stores in a Taipei mall.
The post was “liked” nearly 33,000 times as of Friday morning but it also got nearly 7,000 comments, many of them critical of her choice of words.
“Never heard of a city called Taipei in China, only in Taiwan,” said an Instagram user called “amidsummernightdrean.” “I’m surprised Michelle.”
“You can just say ‘Taipei’, no need to mention China,” said another user “You messed it up.”
“If you want to be Chinese you can do it yourself. Why drag others down with you?” Instagram user “sychcc” posted to the ethnic Chinese actress. “What is your purpose in saying Taipei China?’
“Michelle, don’t do this. Taipei is in Taiwan, not China,” said user “wangtw.”
But not all comments were negative.
“Applause to you for being brave and using the most appropriate way to address Taipei, part of China,” said user “lordjingjing”
Even though the island operates as a de facto independent country with its own political and economic systems and military, it is excluded from the U.N. and major global organizations due to China’s insistence that it not be recognized as a country.
Taiwan’s athletes are usually represented at major sporting events as being from “Chinese Taipei.”
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Yeoh is not the first celebrity to find themselves in hot water over comments related to China and Taiwan.
Hollywood actor and former WWE star John Cena faced a backlash in 2021 for calling Taiwan a “country” during an interview promoting the ninth installment of the “Fast and Furious” series of movies. He apologized in Mandarin to appease Chinese audiences.
Former NBA player Dwight Howard also stirred controversy in 2023 after referring to Taiwan as a “country” in a promotional video. He too apologized after criticism from China.
Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan sparked outrage in Taiwan in 2004 when he called the island’s presidential election “the biggest joke in the world,” leading to protests during a visit to Taipei.
China has dialed up diplomatic and economic pressure on the island since former president Tsai Ing-wen’s administration came to power in 2016, as Tsai and her party refused to acknowledge that Taiwan and the mainland belonged to “One China.”
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who came to power after winning a January 2024 election despite Beijing’s fierce opposition to his bid, ran on a platform of promoting peace in the Taiwan Strait while not compromising on claims of Taiwanese sovereignty.
Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.