<p>US wrestling superstar and actor John Cena apologised to Chinese fans on Tuesday after calling Taiwan a country during an interview to promote his latest movie "Fast & Furious 9".</p>.<p>Speaking to Taiwanese television TVBS earlier this month, 44-year-old Cena said Taiwan would be the first "country" to see the latest Fast and Furious.</p>.<p>China regards Taiwan as its province, an assertion that most on the self-ruled, democratic island rejects.</p>.<p>"I made one mistake. I am very, very sorry for this mistake," Cena said in Mandarin in a video posted on his account on Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog popular in China.</p>.<p>"I love and respect China and the Chinese people," he added.</p>.<p>Cena joins a long list of international celebrities who have incurred the wrath of an increasingly nationalistic Chinese public over their comments about Taiwan, Hong Kong or Xinjiang.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/did-the-us-plan-to-nuke-china-over-taiwan-in-1958-documents-say-so-988870.html" target="_blank">Did the US plan to nuke China over Taiwan in 1958? Documents say so </a></strong></p>.<p>Companies have also come under fire, with several airlines and hotels apologising to China in recent years for listing Taiwan as a country on their booking websites.</p>.<p>Cena's apology was not enough for many mainland Chinese netizens.</p>.<p>"Please use Mandarin to say Taiwan is part of China. Otherwise, we won't accept the apology," read a comment left on Cena's apology video that received the most "likes".</p>.<p>Neither did the apology go down well in the United States.</p>.<p>"Can someone please help John Cena locate his spine, please?" wrote Matt Karolian, manager of American news website Boston.com, on Twitter.</p>.<p>Even former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chimed in.</p>.<p>"On your bowing to the Chinese Communist Party... I don't see you," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>Relations between the United States and China tanked under Pompeo, during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.</p>.<p>Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.</p>.<p>The movie has been a box office hit in mainland China since its open on May 21.</p>.<p>Over the last weekend, China accounted for $135 million of the movie's $162 million in revenue, according to US entertainment publication Variety.</p>
<p>US wrestling superstar and actor John Cena apologised to Chinese fans on Tuesday after calling Taiwan a country during an interview to promote his latest movie "Fast & Furious 9".</p>.<p>Speaking to Taiwanese television TVBS earlier this month, 44-year-old Cena said Taiwan would be the first "country" to see the latest Fast and Furious.</p>.<p>China regards Taiwan as its province, an assertion that most on the self-ruled, democratic island rejects.</p>.<p>"I made one mistake. I am very, very sorry for this mistake," Cena said in Mandarin in a video posted on his account on Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog popular in China.</p>.<p>"I love and respect China and the Chinese people," he added.</p>.<p>Cena joins a long list of international celebrities who have incurred the wrath of an increasingly nationalistic Chinese public over their comments about Taiwan, Hong Kong or Xinjiang.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/did-the-us-plan-to-nuke-china-over-taiwan-in-1958-documents-say-so-988870.html" target="_blank">Did the US plan to nuke China over Taiwan in 1958? Documents say so </a></strong></p>.<p>Companies have also come under fire, with several airlines and hotels apologising to China in recent years for listing Taiwan as a country on their booking websites.</p>.<p>Cena's apology was not enough for many mainland Chinese netizens.</p>.<p>"Please use Mandarin to say Taiwan is part of China. Otherwise, we won't accept the apology," read a comment left on Cena's apology video that received the most "likes".</p>.<p>Neither did the apology go down well in the United States.</p>.<p>"Can someone please help John Cena locate his spine, please?" wrote Matt Karolian, manager of American news website Boston.com, on Twitter.</p>.<p>Even former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chimed in.</p>.<p>"On your bowing to the Chinese Communist Party... I don't see you," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>Relations between the United States and China tanked under Pompeo, during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.</p>.<p>Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.</p>.<p>The movie has been a box office hit in mainland China since its open on May 21.</p>.<p>Over the last weekend, China accounted for $135 million of the movie's $162 million in revenue, according to US entertainment publication Variety.</p>