TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taylor Swift declined an invitation to perform in Taiwan because she feared a war in the Taiwan Strait, according to one of the country’s vice presidential candidates.
During a televised debate aired on Monday (Jan. 1) the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) said Taylor Swift had agreed to perform in Taipei. However, she ultimately decided not to because she feared war.
Jaw added that foreign capital feared Taiwan for the same reason.
Taiwan News contacted Taylor Swift’s management to attempt to verify Jaw’s claim, but did not receive a response by the time of publishing. The claim has not been independently verified.
Taiwan’s culture ministry, however, disputed Jaw’s assertion. The ministry did not provide evidence that Swift had declined to come to Taiwan but instead noted several high-profile international acts that have performed in Taiwan’s southern city of Kaohsiung post-pandemic, including Coldplay and Blackpink.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) responded to the comments on Tuesday echoing the culture ministry’s statement, and said Jaw’s statement was “self-defeating.” Chen accused the candidate of attempting to manipulate voters, and called for an end to such statements.
The U.S. pop star will kick off the Asian leg of a world tour in February with 10 shows in Japan and Singapore. Swift will also perform in Australia for several dates, and throughout Europe and North America.
KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong. (CNA photo)
