Chinese actress Jing Tian (景甜) has been slapped with a US$1.1 million fine for breaching the nation’s advertising law by touting candies as a weight-loss drug.
Jing, who has been in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Great Wall with Matt Damon and Kong: Skull Island, has been a brand ambassador for Infinite Free, a Guangzhou-based company that claimed its fruit and vegetable candy could prevent the body from absorbing sugars, oils and fats.
In the ads, which have since been pulled from e-commerce sites such as Alibaba’s Taobao and JD.com, the 33-year-old actress said that people could keep in shape by taking two “candies” after eating a meal.
The local regulator in Guangzhou imposed a 7.22 million yuan (US$1.1 million) fine on Saturday, saying ordinary food cannot be claimed to have therapeutic effects under advertising law.
The state regulator said it supported the decision in a follow-up statement, adding that market regulators nationwide should step up supervision of celebrities’ advertising activities.
Jing is the latest celebrity to be caught up in a year-long crackdown on the entertainment industry. Regulators have targeted what state media outlets have characterized as “improper” idol worship, excessive wealth held by some and dubious tax practices.
The Chinese cyberspace regulator last year told social media platforms to remove all rankings of celebrities.
One of China’s most popular film stars, Zhao Wei (趙薇), was blacklisted from the nation’s Internet, while actress Zheng Shuang (鄭爽) was ordered to pay 299 million yuan in overdue taxes, late fees and fines.
Jing, who raked in 2.6 million yuan in “illegal income” from the endorsement, apologized on Sina Weibo, saying she did not do enough due diligence when she signed her contract.
“I hereby offer my solemn apology, for failing to fulfill my obligations to examine the contract during the process of signing and for the negative impact on consumers that trust the related product,” she wrote. “I’ll never advertise for any product in this category in future to prevent this from happening again.”
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS