China tells foreign artists to behave after Bjork’s Tibet call
Showbiz Desk

BEIJING—Foreign artists must obey Chinese law if they want to perform in China, a senior official said Thursday following pop star Bjork’s recent call for Tibetan independence during a Shanghai concert.
“Most foreign artists coming to China are able to abide by Chinese laws, but some artists do not,” vice culture minister Zhou Heping said when asked about the Icelandic performer singing in support of Tibetan independence during a March 1 show.
“It is hoped that these artists can understand Chinese laws and the feelings of the Chinese people and not do things against our laws or feelings,” he told reporters.
Zhou’s comments followed a ministry statement last week that China may impose tougher curbs on foreign artists in response to Bjork’s actions.
The ministry statement also warned that similar actions could lead to offending artists being blacklisted.
Zhou, however, made no mention of any new curbs and said the incident would not affect China’s attitude toward foreign artists.
“This is an individual thing and it won’t affect whether China invites other artists from other countries to perform in China, especially during the Olympics,” he said.
“But there is some behaviour that we must continue to criticise.”
China defends any challenge to its rule of Tibet, which it considers an inseparable part of China.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, after sending in troops to officially “liberate” the devoutly Buddhist region a year earlier.
In Shanghai, Bjork yelled “Tibet” several times during the song “Declare Independence,” which was originally written for Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark.
Foreign artists performing in China must have their songlists vetted by authorities.
In 2006, the culture ministry ordered the Rolling Stones to avoid some of their raunchier hits such as “Brown Sugar” and “Honky Tonk Woman” when they performed in Shanghai.