Chinese pop star and fashion icon Cai Xukun (蔡徐坤) yesterday denied he had pressured a woman to have an abortion, but promised to change his behavior after being embroiled in a sex scandal that has taken China by storm.
A blogger last week claimed that Cai had a one-night stand with a woman referred to as “Ms C,” alleging that he coerced her into getting an abortion when he found out that she was pregnant.
The scandal has exploded in China, where celebrities are held to high moral standards, threatening Cai’s lucrative partnerships with major international brands, including Prada and Tag Heuer.
Photo: grab from Weibo of Cai
Music videos featuring Cai were unavailable yesterday on state broadcaster Chinese Central Television’s video streaming app, and a search for the star’s name yielded no results.
Breaking days of silence on the issue, Cai acknowledged having a relationship with Ms C that ended in 2021, adding that the two were no longer seeing each other.
“The relationship between Ms C and I was voluntary... It did not involve illegal activities,” Cai posted to his more than 38 million Weibo followers.
“I implore relevant independent media not to spread or believe rumors,” he said.
However, the singer added that he would change his behavior: “In the future, I will strictly constrain my words and actions, and accept public and societal supervision.”
Cai’s top global sponsors have not commented on the issue.
Signs of waning confidence emerged on Saturday, when a Chinese celebrity-focused advertising association urged clients to be aware of “risks” concerning a “male singer named Cai.”
“This incident is tending toward further hype and expansion,” a body under the Beijing Advertising Association said in a statement published on WeChat. It did not give Cai’s full name.
“Related brands, performance management firms and multi-channel network operators are requested to control risks of male singer Cai,” it said.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in