Tue 25 May 2021

Actor and wrestler John Cena embarked on his Mandarin Chinese learning journey nearly a decade ago. However, this month, his demonstration of linguistic proficiency during a visit to Taiwan stirred controversy in mainland China.

Cena issued an apology on Tuesday for referring to Taiwan as “a country” in an interview with a Taiwanese broadcaster earlier this month, acknowledging that it was inappropriate.

He expressed, “Hello China, I’m John Cena. Amid the promotions for Fast & Furious 9, I’ve been engaging in numerous interviews. Regrettably, I misspoke in one of them. With the abundance of information provided by the movie’s staff, there were many interviews and details.”

“I must emphasize something very crucial now. I hold deep love and respect for China and its people. I sincerely apologize for my mistake. Please understand my genuine affection and admiration for China and its people. I apologize sincerely. Thank you,” he added.

China considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and opposes any suggestion of the island being an independent state.

The controversy erupted when Cena, earlier this month, stated in Mandarin to Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS that, “Taiwan is the first country that can watch F9,” in reference to his latest film, Fast & Furious 9.