An ongoing investigation in China into possible lip syncing (“playback”) by a popular Taiwanese rock band may be linked to Beijing's attempts to influence the island's upcoming elections, Taiwanese security officials said.
Mayday, one of the most prominent rock groups in the Chinese-speaking world, has been under official investigation in China since early December for alleged lip syncing during their recent shows in Shanghai. The band's record label has repeatedly denied the allegations.
At a recent security briefing, two Taiwanese intelligence officials said Chinese authorities had for months pressured Mayday to publicly declare that both China and Taiwan belong to the same country.
The repeated requests coincided with the start of the band's tour in China in May, said the Taiwanese authorities, who requested anonymity for security reasons.
“They were encouraged to declare their position [política] during interactions with fans and public interviews,” officials said at the briefing, which was attended by CNN .
The assessment was based on information gathered by Taiwanese security agencies in China, they added.
Taiwanese authorities alleged that when Mayday refused to comply, the Chinese Communist Party's powerful propaganda department coordinated with state media to generate widespread public discussions about alleged lip syncing on their shows to pressure them.
“We decided to publicize the incident because it is the first time they have attacked [artistas taiwaneses] on such an unprecedented scale,” officials said.
Taiwanese authorities said they suspected the Chinese investigation into Mayday could be related to Taiwan's presidential election in January.
Taiwan has already accused Beijing of employing a series of disinformation, military and economic operations to influence the election.
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have been rising in recent years, with China's Communist Party increasing military and political pressure on the island, where the parties' differing views on relations with China often make elections a litmus test for the public sentiment towards Beijing.
Taiwan's current ruling party is hated by Beijing's leaders.
A CNN failed to independently verify Taiwan's intelligence assessments.
But three sources familiar with Taiwan's pop music scene said it is not uncommon for Taiwanese artists to face political restrictions in exchange for permission to perform in mainland China, a highly lucrative market due to its huge population.
A CNN has contacted the Chinese Communist Party Publicity Department and the Cyberspace Administration of China for comment.
The allegations
Some Taiwanese artists have encountered difficulties in China for speaking openly about the autonomous island, which Beijing sees as its own territory despite never having controlled it.
But Mayday – sometimes nicknamed the “Asian Beatles” – have largely avoided politics and maintained huge popularity among fans in mainland China.
The lip sync accusations centered on Mayday's recent shows in Shanghai, where the group performed eight times over 10 days in mid-November to a combined audience of more than 360,000 people.
The controversy began in late November when a music vlogger on Bilibili, one of China's largest video-sharing platforms, posted a video in which he used computer software to analyze the vocals of 12 songs recorded live by a fan on Mayday concert in Shanghai on November 16th.
The vlogger stated that his analysis found that the band's lead singer, Ashin, lip-synced to at least five songs during the three-hour show, saying that the lead singer's singing was precisely in tune to those numbers while going in and out of tune drastically. in other songs.
The vlogger's claims quickly gained traction on the social media platform Weibo, becoming the top trending topic and garnering hundreds of millions of views.
Shanghai's Department of Culture and Tourism, a municipal government department that oversees commercial performances, announced an investigation on December 3 – in a move widely reported by major Chinese state media outlets.
In a statement earlier this month, Mayday's record label, B'in Music, dismissed the lip-synching accusations as “malicious attacks, rumors and slander,” saying they seriously damaged the band's image.
The record company did not respond to the company's questions. CNN about Taiwan's intelligence assessments.
A CNN also reached out to China's Taiwan Affairs Office and music vlogger Bilibili for comment.
On Monday, Shanghai's Department of Culture and Tourism said the investigation was ongoing, according to Chinese media.
Changing the red lines
Taiwanese artists have already found themselves in hot water for crossing political lines while performing in China, even with seemingly innocuous comments.
In August, a Taiwanese indie band faced significant backlash after telling a crowd in Shanghai that they were delighted to be holding their first performance in China – a slip that seemed to infer that Taiwan is not part of the country. They later apologized and offered a refund.
In 2000, popular Taiwanese singer A-mei faced a one-year ban after singing the Taiwanese anthem at former president Chen Shui-bian's inauguration ceremony. Chen represented the Democratic Progressive Party, which is ostracized in Beijing for its pro-independence leanings.
“Many Taiwanese artists have to practice self-censorship,” said a veteran Taiwanese music producer, who asked that his name not be published because he still works in the industry.
“Often they cannot say anything related to Taiwanese politics, or they can easily miss the opportunity to act [na China].”
The producer also noted that it was unusual for allegations of dubbing to make major headlines in China.
“There are so many similar accusations against different artists every year, and it's really unusual for it to blow up like this,” they said.
Lin Chen-yu, a professor at Cardiff University who specializes in Chinese censorship of Taiwanese music, said the pressure faced by Taiwanese artists has increased in recent years.
While simply not making pro-Taipei statements was enough, Taiwanese artists have faced increasing pressure from Chinese authorities to declare support for the “motherland,” Lin said.
For example, several Taiwanese artists have posted on social media to celebrate China's national day in recent years, while remaining silent about Taiwan's own national day, she said.
“The pressure is especially greater for megastars,” she added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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