Justin Bieber banned from performing China

Canadian singer, Justin Bieber is not welcome to perform in China because of his "bad behaviour", on and off the stage, Beijing authorities have said, after the pop star angered many Chinese in 2014 by visiting a controversial Japanese war shrine.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture said the ban was necessary to "purify" the country's entertainment industry but suggested it was not permanent, expressing the hope that the 23-year-old, who last played in the country in 2013 might improve his behavior and earn back the love of his fans to earn a return.

In a statement published Tuesday on its website, the Municipal Bureau of Culture wrote, 

Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer ... As far as we are concerned, he has engaged in a series of bad behaviors, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China, which caused discontent among the public.

In order to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers," the statement continued. We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public.

The statement came after Chinese fans posted comments on the agency's website demanding to know when their heart throb would be allowed to perform in China again.

It is "inappropriate to introduce bad behaviour into the performing arts" it said, calling the performer out for his antics and urging him to turn over a new leaf.  

The singer's latest song "Despacito" has been streamed over 4.6 billion times since its March release, according to the Universal Music Group.  

The Beijing cultural bureau did not specifically mention Bieber's 2014 visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead, including convicted World War II war criminals.  

The shrine is seen across Asia as a symbol of Japan's perceived lack of penitence for its past imperialist aggression, under which China in particular suffered heavily.  

Shortly after his trip, the singer behind the hit song "Sorry" issued an apology to scandalised Chinese fans, saying he was "mislead to think the shrines were only a place of prayer".