A Taiwan singer apologized on Friday after being accused of being unpatriotic for making Weibo posts unrelated to the nation's high-profile military parade on Thursday, provoking concerns over extreme nationalism in the country.
"I'm sorry for posting a picture of my sons, upsetting some of you," wrote Christine Fan Wei-chi on her Weibo post on Friday. The post came after the singer posted her twin babies' picture on Thursday, which triggered wide criticism for being unpatriotic, as China celebrated the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).
Some mainland netizens also accused Fan of promoting "Taiwan independence." But netizens from Hong Kong and Taiwan questioned the need for Fan to apologize on Facebook.
Several other Chinese celebrities, including those from Taiwan and Hong Kong, were also accused on Thursday by netizens for not posting any military parade-related item.
Mainland actress Zhao Wei likewise received her share of criticism for not posting anything on the military parade.
Meanwhile, celebrities from Taiwan who made parade-related posts on Weibo received negative comments from netizens who described them as "betraying the island."
"The netizens' reactions are signs of extreme nationalism," warned Hu Xingdou, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
Hu told the Global Times on Saturday that the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of victory of the anti-fascist war should be a day that allows diverse views.
"The era of acceptance of only one viewpoint is over. What celebrities wrote online should be seen as their personal choice," Hu said.
