Justin Bieber Banned From Performing In China For “Bad Behavior”

Pop-star Justin Bieber has been banned by the Chinese government from performing in mainland China. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, the governing entity behind the ban, citied Bieber’s “bad behavior” on and off the stage as the reason behind their ousting of the Grammy winner.

The ban was not announced outright but came to light when a user online asked the Bureau of Culture why the 23-year-old singer was not allowed to perform in China during his tour of Asia this coming September.

“We sympathize with your feelings. Justin Bieber is a talented singer but is also a controversial young foreign idol,” the bureau wrote on their website. “We understand that there are records of his bad behavior, whether it is in his private life abroad or on stage. His inappropriate manner has caused public discontent. In order to regulate the market order of show business in China and purify the market environment, it was decided that performers of inappropriate behavior will not be welcomed.”

The bureau did leave hope for the future though, adding, “We hope Justin Bieber is able to improve his conduct as he grows up and will once again find public favor.”

Bieber has performed in China in the past. The singer found himself in hot water when a video showing bodyguards carrying Beiber while he toured the Great Wall of China circulated in 2013.

Additionally, Bieber has had several run ins with the law at home and abroad during his meteoric rise to fame. In 2014, the “Sorry” singer was arrested for driving under the influence in Miami, Florida. A few weeks earlier, Bieber was suspected of causing thousands of dollars of damage to his neighbor’s home in California.

Bieber is not the first artist to be banned from performing in the country. The Brit-rock group Oasis, Maroon 5, and Icelandic singer Bjork have all been banned for voicing their support for either Tibet or the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese government views as a dangerous separatist.

The Chinese government also has an extensive history of censorship in all forms of media. “Winnie The Pooh” recently became censored online because Chinese internet users began to create memes in which the lovable bear represented China’s President and leader of the Communist party Xi Jinping.