Taiwan bans concert by Chinese rapper over insulting ‘Taipei, China’ promotional materials

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has cancelled a planned Taipei concert by a Chinese rapper over his use of the insulting term “Taipei, China” in promotional materials. Wang Yitai’s scheduled Sept. 14 concert has been scrapped and the performer from the southwestern city of Chengdu banned from the island, the Taiwanese government’s Mainland Affairs Council announced late Sunday. The term is insulting because it describes Taipei, the island’s capital, as a Chinese city under Beijing’s rule, echoing the government’s position on eventually annexing Taiwan by force if necessary and denigrating the island’s lively democracy. Not widely known outside China, Wang is signed to a rap label in Chengdu, a city with a lively arts scene that has become famous for eclectic performers and venues.