• By Chen Yu-fu and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A Straits Exchange Foundation official today warned that yielding to political pressure in exchange for access to China’s entertainment industry rarely ends well, amid rumors that China is seeking to lure Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜).

Chou, more commonly known as Tzuyu, is the only Taiwanese member of the girl group Twice.

Her contract with JYP Entertainment is set to expire at the end of this year, and there have been widespread reports that she would not renew it.

Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times

She is reportedly planning to pursue solo activities under her parents’ agency, Yu Hai Entertainment (瑜海娛樂), although China has also reportedly offered to help Tzuyu develop her career in China.

Chinese-language media have reported that this would include access to broadcasting, concerts and talent agencies if she publicly endorses “one China” and says that “Taiwanese people are Chinese.”

For the past decade, China has used threats and incentives to pressure Taiwanese entertainers to endorse its political positions, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said today in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of Taipei Times).

Artists who have already entered the Chinese market can have their work abruptly halted if they do not comply, while those who cooperate more closely are rewarded with greater market access, Luo said.

Those who cooperate with China’s demands tend to have career peaks that do not last long, he said, adding that China uses them and then discards them once they no longer have value.

China’s “united front” efforts target not only entertainers, but also politicians, influencers and media commentators, Luo said.

He decried recent budget cuts to media and culture, saying that legislators used to routinely call for more cultural funding and support for artistic groups, regardless of which party was in power.

In a post on the paid fan platform Bubble today, Tzuyu asked her fans to wait patiently for news on her future career plans and cheer her on rather than worrying.

“I know there are all kinds of rumors circulating online, but even so, you’ve been willing to patiently wait for me until I can come back with new work,” she wrote.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Just cheering me on means so much to me. Your support gives me the strength to work harder and keep moving forward. I’m always so grateful to you all,” she said.

Additional reporting by Liao Li-hui