China bans the Biebs

Cites past ‘bad behaviour’

BEIJING — Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has been barred from performing in China due to what officials call past instances of “bad behaviour.” In a statement recently posted on its website, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture said that while the 23-year-old is a gifted performer, “he is also a controversial young foreign singer.”

The statement was apparently posted in reply to a fan who asked why Bieber wasn’t allowed to perform in China.

It went on to say that “in order to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers.”

Bieber is scheduled to begin the Asian leg of his current world tour after two shows in Toronto on Sept. 5 and 6, but no Chinese dates are listed on the itinerary posted on his website.

He’ll perform Sept. 23 and 24 in Tokyo followed by stops in Hong Kong and the Philippines before wrapping up in Singapore on Oct. 7.

“We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public,” the statement said.

The statement did not provide any details of Bieber’s “behaviour,” but the singer has been embroiled in a few controversies in recent years, including an egg-throwing incident in Los Angeles in 2015 and allegations of assault in Toronto in 2013.