i-dle's Yuqi Sparks 'One China' Controversy as Attention Turns to Shuhua

i-dle's Yuqi has sparked debate after sharing a Chinese state media post supporting Beijing's position on Taiwan, drawing attention to fellow member Shuhua, who is Taiwanese.

On Nov. 12, Yuqi reposted a message from China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on Weibo, quoting President Xi Jinping's speech at an event marking the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth.

The message stressed that China's territory must not be divided and described reunification with Taiwan as a long-standing goal of the Chinese Communist Party. Yuqi added a caption echoing the speech's message about national unity.

Her post was seen as support for Beijing's "One China" principle, which claims Taiwan as part of Chinese territory. Taiwan, however, has its own democratically elected government.

The post has divided online opinion, particularly because Yuqi and Shuhua come from opposite sides of the Taiwan Strait. Some criticized Yuqi for publicly backing Beijing's position despite having a Taiwanese bandmate, while others pointed to the political pressure Chinese celebrities face when working in their home country.

Yuqi has expressed similar views before. In 2019, she shared a post supporting the "One China" principle during the Hong Kong protests. She also referred to Taiwan as "China Taiwan" on a Chinese television program in 2023.

Shuhua has not publicly addressed the latest controversy.