In recent days, a petition was launched by frustrated people from Hong Kong and pro-democracy supporters, calling for the removal of actor Donnie Yen from the list of presenters for this year's Academy Awards ceremony. That petition recently crossed a major milestone.

The Change.org petition, created by Fu Tong, who joined Hong Kong's anti-extradition protests in 2019, recently crossed 100,000 signatures, with many citing Yen's previous statements about the pro-democracy protests and his membership in one of China's top advisory committees -- the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) -- as reasons for signing.

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Yen recently attended what is known as China's "Two Session," which consists of the meetings of both the CPPCC and the National People's Congress, the latter of which is often described as China's "rubber stamp parliament." Yen served as a representative of Hong Kong’s cultural and art sector. Supporters of the petition have expressed concerns that inviting Yen to present at the Oscars may be tantamount to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences welcoming China's authoritarian regime to the stage and giving it a platform.

The John Wick: Chapter 4 star came under fire recently after describing the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as "riots" in a GQ interview and criticizing outlets such as BBC, CNN and the "western media" for ignoring the progress made in China and focusing on the negative aspects. It is important to note that the international community recognized the 2019 Hong Kong protests as peaceful while condemning the brutal tactics employed by the Hong Kong Police Force, as well as the Beijing-imposed national security law that followed in 2020. The legislation has led to the arrest of hundreds of pro-democracy activists, journalists and even former legislators.

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On top of escalating political tensions between China and the western world, the last decade has seen a notable change in Hollywood's approach to China. This has largely stemmed from backlash to the approach major studios have taken to maintaining access to the market and was further fueled by China's recent cultural shift, with the Communist Party-led government pushing for a focus on domestically produced films and restricting the number of Hollywood films allowed into the country. It's worth noting that there does appear to be some reversal, seemingly sparked by a struggling Chinese film industry.

Following the start of paramount leader Xi Jinping's historic third term, numerous Chinese celebrities have publicly declared their support for both the Communist Party and Xi Jinping's cultural guidance, as expressed at last year's Party Congress. As an example, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang Ziyi stated, "As an artistic worker, I... understand the general secretary's request."In the future, I will adhere to the people-centred creative orientation according to the instructions of the general secretary, adhere to the position of Chinese culture... tell the Chinese story to the world, and spread the Chinese voice."

Source: Change.org, GQ