Taiwan singer Deserts Chang forced to cancel China concert over flag row

Taiwanese singer Deserts Chang has been forced to cancel a performance in China amid controversy about her display of a Taiwanese flag at an overseas concert, it was announced on Thursday.

“A recent unexpected episode in her performance has caused various interpretations ... we have decided to suspend the concert out of concerns for performance quality as well as the audiences’ welfare and safety,” her agent Tsai Yu-ching said in a statement.

Taiwanese media said speculation was rife that Chang could be blacklisted in China after she displayed Taiwan’s flag on stage during a concert at a British university earlier this month.

The incident drew protests from Chinese students in the audience.

China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan even though the two entities have been governed separately since 1949. Beijing has threatened to invade should Taipei formally declare independence.

The flag incident sparked criticism from Chinese netizens, with some labelling her a “pro-Taiwan independence singer”, as well as a war of words on the internet between Taiwanese and Chinese.