Former NBA star Dwight Howard has sparked backlash in China after a promotional video in which he referred to Taiwan as a “country”.
In a commercial appearance alongside Taiwan’s vice-president, Howard said (in English) that he had gained “a whole new appreciation of this country” since moving to Taiwan to play for the Taoyuan Leopards in the T1 League.
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“This place makes me feel so much love,” Howard said.
“I experience so much hospitality in a friendly and great living environment, with such a diverse culture.
“Now, I would like to invite everyone to experience the warmth and vitality that I have felt during my time in Taiwan.”
The eight-time NBA All-Star has a significant presence in China, with the sport blossoming after 7-foot-6 Yao Ming was drafted number one overall to Houston in 2002.
The video has been fiercely criticised in China, with the hashtag “Howard Taiwan independence” trending on Chinese social media site Weibo.
The video has sent Chinese social media into meltdown, with one Weibo account asking “Is he crazy?”.
“The promotional video has obvious Taiwan independence characters, how could he agree to do it?”
Howard’s official Weibo account has been flooded with criticism, with state-owned media outlet The Global Times demanding an apology.
Howard has since said his use of the term “country” was an issue with a “communication barrier”.
“Where I’m from, if I say I wanna go to the country, it doesn’t not mean that place is a country. It’s just how we talk,” he told Taiwanese reporters.
“If I offended anyone in China I apologise. It was not my intention to harm anyone with what I said in the commercial.
“I am not a politician. I don’t want to get involved in any politics … I have the utmost respect for Chinese people and utmost respect for Taiwanese people, so it was never my intent to disrespect nobody.”
In a statement to media, Taiwan’s Presidential spokesman Kolas Yotaka said it was “sad” to see some Chinese internet users “have their hearts broken.”
“We do not intend to break their hearts. We welcome them to stay in Taiwan for a few nights. “If you know more about Taiwan, you will know why politicians, athletes, tourists, and entrepreneurs from all over the world like to come to our country,” Yotaka said.
The NBA has had a tumultuous relationship with China in recent years, with then-Houston general manager Daryl Morey sparking controversy for tweeting supporting for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong in 2019.
In 2021, Celtics centre Enes Freedom called President Xi Jingping a “brutal dictator” over the nation’s treatment of Tibet, resulting in Celtics games being blocked in China.
Taiwan is a self-governing democracy with its own military, currency, constitution and elected government, but has been claimed as part of China as early as the 17th century.
Japan took control of the island in 1895 after the first Sino-Japanese War, before China took control again in 1945 after World War II.
After the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, and Mao Zedong’s Communist Party took control and nationalist forces fled to Taiwan, where they ruled for several decades.
The Kuomintang has remained one of Taiwan’s most significant political parties, and China exerts considerable diplomatic pressure on other countries to not recognise Taiwan.
While the United States acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, it has never recognised China’s claim to the island, and is also bound by law to provide Taiwan with “arms of a defensive character” under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
Similarly, Australia’s position on Taiwan is based on a 1972 Joint Communique with China signed by the Whitlam government, acknowledging China’s claim while not recognising Taiwan as a sovereign state.
Australia maintains an ongoing trade relationship with Taiwan, with the small island nation currently Australia’s ninth-largest customer for exports.