i-dle’s Yuqi Sparks Controversy Over “One China” Support… Attention Turns to Taiwanese Bandmate Shuhua

As Yuqi of the girl group i-dle shared a post aligning with the Chinese government’s “One China” principle, public attention is also turning toward her Taiwanese bandmate, Shuhua.

On November 12, Yuqi reposted a message originally uploaded by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The post featured remarks from a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasizing unification with Taiwan.

In the speech, President Xi stated, “Throughout the more than 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, the shared conviction etched deep into the bones of all sons and daughters of China is that the nation’s territory must not be divided, the country must not fall into chaos, and the people must not be scattered.”

He further emphasized, “Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland is a historic mission to which the Chinese Communist Party has remained unswervingly committed. It is the shared aspiration of all sons and daughters of China and an indispensable task for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

The post Yuqi shared aligns directly with Beijing’s “One China” principle—China’s stance that mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are inseparable parts of a single territory, and that the Chinese government is the sole legitimate government.

This is not the first time Yuqi has publicly expressed messages supporting this stance. During the 2019 Hong Kong protests, she also uploaded a post backing China’s position, sharing content featuring the Five-Star Red Flag on Weibo to express her sense of allegiance to China.

Additionally, during her 2023 appearance on the Chinese variety show Keep Running, she drew headlines after referring to Taiwan as “Taiwan, China” while discussing i-dle’s upcoming concert schedule.

The latest post is drawing heightened scrutiny largely because her fellow group member Shuhua hails from Taiwan. With Yuqi lending her voice to Beijing’s unification rhetoric, curiosity is mounting regarding Shuhua’s position.

Shuhua has also been swept up in nationality-related controversies in the past. When a broadcast displayed the Taiwanese flag to indicate her nationality and sparked backlash, her agency, Cube Entertainment, explained that it was an editing error by the broadcaster and announced that it had requested the footage be re-edited.

Meanwhile, Yuqi, who is from China, is balancing group activities with i-dle alongside her solo career. She recently met with fans in China through a solo fan-concert tour.