TAIPEI / BEIJING — Taiwanese actor and singer Nicky Wu has sparked intense controversy and the cancellation of a high-profile baseball appearance after posting a video of himself waving China's Five-Starred Red Flag in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

According to reports from Chinese state-run Global Times and Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily on October 8, the 1970-born entertainer uploaded a video to the Chinese social media platform Douyin on October 1st to celebrate China's National Day. In the clip, Wu is seen waving the Chinese national flag alongside the caption, "Setting off to find the romance unique to the Chinese people."

Just a day later, on October 2, the cancellation of his scheduled ceremonial first pitch at a Taiwanese professional baseball game was announced. Wu had been slated to throw the opening pitch on October 4. However, the baseball club cited health reasons as the official justification for calling off the appearance.

Despite the club's explanation, local media and netizens in Taiwan widely speculated that Wu's public display of the Chinese flag influenced the decision. Adding fuel to the controversy, Wu posted a video of himself visiting Beijing's Great Wall on October 4—the exact day he was supposed to pitch in Taiwan—prompting local outlets to question the credibility of the "health issues" explanation.

Wu continued his social media activity on October 6 by sharing a video from Beijing's Temple of Heaven, in which he positively evaluated China's rising living standards and tourism growth. When a Chinese netizen commented on the post, writing, "If you want to make money in mainland China, you must hold firm to this stance," Wu replied, "Even if I don't make money, this is my stance."

Born in Taiwan in 1980, Wu debuted as a member of a popular idol group in the late 1980s and has since maintained an active career as both an actor and singer spanning across mainland China and Taiwan.

As of press time, the baseball club has maintained that health issues were the sole reason for the cancellation, and Wu has not issued a direct statement regarding the controversy surrounding the event.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]