In wake of Beijing blacklist, HK star Nicholas Tse to renounce his Canadian citizenship

Singapore — In the wake of celebrities such as Vicki Zhao getting cancelled in China, Hong Kong actor and singer Nicholas Tse said in an interview that he’s renouncing his Canadian citizenship.

And in an interview published on Sunday (Sept 5), Mr Tse told Chinese TV host Lan Yu about his application to revoke his Canadian citizenship.

As a pledge of allegiance to China / CCP in order to pursue more $$$ in China’s show biz, Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse claims he’s in the process of renouncing his Canadian nationality. 🤦🏻

This will likely prompt other Chinese celebs to renounce their foreign nationalities too. pic.twitter.com/rtAK4Uwa4Q

— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) September 6, 2021

The 41-year-old Hong Kong-born action star moved to Canada as a boy and grew up in Vancouver, which explains his dual Canadian and Hong Kong citizenship.

This dual citizenship may be viewed as disloyal by his sizable audience in the mainland, as evidence by the flack he received about his nationality in comments about his movie Raging Fire, which he starred in wit Donnie Yen.

“I was looking through the reviews of my recent movie Raging Fire when I saw that some were questioning my nationality, saying that I am a Canadian. 

I was born in Hong Kong, so I am a Chinese national to begin with.”

The actor, who also takes pride in his culinary skills, said in the interview, “Whether it is food or music or action movies, no matter what kind of content or identity, I have always wanted to spread Chinese culture and spirit to the world.”

Both Tse’s father, longtime actor Patrick Tse, and his management agency, Emperor Entertainment Group, have expressed support for the Hong Kong star’s decision about his citizenship.

Fans in China have applauded Mr Tse’s announcement, shining a light on the star’s emphasis on Chinese pride.

Vicky Zhao cancelled?

On Aug 28, AFP reported that all references to Ms Zhao on Chinese websites had been removed.

“Beijing is on a mission to curb what it calls ‘chaotic fan culture’ and celebrity excess, after a string of scandals in recent months that toppled top Chinese artists,” the report said.

No official reason for removing the actress’ name online has been given, but Ms Zhao, a multibillionaire and a Singapore permanent resident, has close ties with Alibaba’s Jack Ma, who fell into disfavour with Beijing.

Rumours circulated last week that next on the target list is movie star Jet Li, who has Singaporean citizenship.

Mr Li is allegedly part of a list of Chinese celebrities who possess foreign citizenship.

The “reorganization list”, said to originate from China’s National Radio and Television Administration includes singer Will Pan (US), Zhang Tielin (British) and Mark Chao (Canadian), and actress Liu Yifei (US). /TISG

Read also: After Vicki Zhao, will China cancel Jet Li next?

After Vicki Zhao, will China cancel Jet Li next?