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Chinese pop star Wanting Qu, dating Vancouver's married mayor, says she believes in 'commitment of marriage'

Qu, who is dating Vancouver's mayor Gregor Robertson, tells fans 'happiness should never result in another's loss or sadness'

Chinese-born pop star Wanting Qu, who is dating Vancouver's married mayor, Gregor Robertson, has issued a statement saying she believes in the "commitment of a marriage" and that happiness "should never result in another's loss or sadness".

The couple's relationship has been in the spotlight since January 6, when it was first publicly reported by Frances Bula, a well-known journalist in Canada with good contacts among Robertson's Vision Vancouver party. Robertson and Amy, his wife of almost 30 years, have four adult children. He has refused to be drawn on the subject.

However, Qu, a platinum-selling singer who is also Tourism Vancouver's China ambassador, has not been so reticent, breaking a silence on her love life last week.

"I would only love a man who shares my morals and values, who's honest and faithful and lives with integrity, who has respect and love for our colourful, diverse and beautiful planet," Vancouver-based Qu said in a message on multiple social media platforms. Robertson is famed for his environmental policies and is the founder of organic juice brand Happy Planet.

"I believe in the commitment of a marriage. I believe one's happiness should never result in another's loss or sadness," Qu, 31, continued.

"I'm grateful every day for my fans, who give me strength, freedom and independence. Thank you for believing in me, my music and my values."

Qu's message in English and Chinese was shared on Thursday with her 1.5 million Sina Weibo followers.

A few hours earlier, she had sent the same message to her 67,000 Instagram followers and similar Tweets to her more than 7,100 followers on Twitter.

Harbin-born Qu added a Chinese-only message on her Weibo account, saying that happiness could not be built on the "destruction" of another's marriage or upon deception.

The Robertsons announced their separation in early July to "dispel false rumours being spread online". They said they had separated "amicably". A spokeswoman said at the time "there is no third party", according to newspaper. In August, Qu donned a bikini to challenge Robertson to undertake the ALS ice-bucket challenge and when Robertson turned 50 in September, she sang happy birthday to him via the Chinese Youku video-sharing website. Qu had attended Robertson's inauguration for a third term in office in December.

Qu and Robertson were both part of an 18-person delegation from Vancouver that travelled to mainland China and Hong Kong in November 2013 promoting business and cultural ties. In her role for Tourism Vancouver, Qu is not directly answerable to the mayor, although she has helped develop his social media profile in China, where he has more than 88,000 Weibo followers.

Wanting Qu and Gregor Robertson show off a portrait of Robertson painted by one of Qu’s fans. The photo was shared on November 12, 2013, while Qu and Robertson were in China together as part of a delegation from Vancouver promoting business and cultural links. Photo: Facebook
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and Wanting Qu in an image posted by Qu to social media before their relationship became public knowledge. Photo: Twitter

Both Qu and Robertson have spent the holiday season in Hawaii. In an oblique Instagram message sent on January 11 from Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai, Qu said she lived "with integrity, strong morals and respect for the world. I believe in life you just gotta be who you are. And you'll only attract those who are like you and live by the same values. Eventually you'll be surrounded by people who love and support you."

Although Robertson has been silent on his relationship with Qu, it was his political team that decided last summer to go public with the rumours about the mayor's marriage at the start of his re-election campaign.

After the couple announced their split, Vision Vancouver shared with the media a private email that political opponent Rob Macdonald sent to Robertson, referring to the mayor's marital separation and his alleged "philandering".

Until that point, there had been no reports in the mainstream media about the Robertsons' separation, although it was known in Canadian media and political circles.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: The Chinese pop star and the married mayor
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