Justin Bieber not welcome to perform in China

Beijing's bureau of culture is "controversial."

By
JOI-MARIE MCKENZIE
July 22, 2017, 12:57 PM ET
4 min read

— -- Sorry, Justin Bieber -- you're not welcome to perform in China.

The Bureau of Culture from the country's capital city of Beijing said in a statement released earlier this week that Bieber, 23, is simply too "controversial."

The statement, released Tuesday, came after a fan, or “Belieber,” demanded to know why the singer wasn't allowed to perform in China.

Bieber is currently on his Purpose World Tour, in support of his 2015 album of the same name. He's set to bring the worldwide tour to Asia in September and October, but the pop star won’t be stopping in China. Instead, he'll perform in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.

Ariana Grande's Manchester benefit concert will feature Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez continue to uncouple in the public eye

The country didn't go into specific reasons why the Canadian singer couldn't perform, but, according to a translation, called him a "controversial young foreign singer."

The memo also states that Bieber has "had a series of bad behavior" incidents, which didn't bode well for the singer publicly. The statement added that it wasn't "appropriate to introduce" the singer to Chinese audiences.

"Thanks again for your understanding and support!" the statement concluded.

Bieber has had several run-ins with the law. He was arrested for dangerous driving and assault in his native Canada in September 2014. He was also arrested earlier that year on a DUI charge, driving with an expired driver's license and resisting arrest without violence, after leaving a Miami nightclub.

After those incidents, the singer vowed to clean up his act, telling daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in February 2015, "I'm passionate about being better and growing."

Back in April, Bieber celebrated how far he's come by posting a photo of his 2014 DUI mugshot next to a photo of himself.

He captioned the composite: "I LOVE THIS because it reminds me IM NOT EXACTLY WHERE I WANT TO BE BUT THANK GOD IM NOT WHERE I USED TO BE!! THE BEST IS YET TO COME DO YOU BELIEVE IT?"

Bieber brought his 2013 "Believe" Tour to China, performing three times in Beijing, Dalian and Shanghai, respectively.

He even took in the Great Wall of China while there, and caused a stir when photos surfaced of him being carried by two bodyguards.

ABC News reached out to a rep for Bieber, but did not immediately hear back.