Kris Wu, the Chinese-Canadian pop star and actor, who appeared in the film XXX: Return of Xander Cage, was arrested by the police in Beijing’s Chaoyang District on suspicion of rape, reported CGTN. The arrest follows allegations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old when she was drunk.
Wu, also known by his Chinese name Kris WuYifan, was earlier detained in July in the same case. Though it is unclear what the exact charges are, the prosecuter’s office said, in a one-sentence statement, on Monday, that Wu’s arrest was given the go-ahead, Associated Press reported.
Sexual assault allegations against the former member of the boy-band EXO (M), first surfaced on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, after a woman posted that she was allegedly raped by Wu when she was 17.
As per a Washington Post report, the woman had told NetEase that when she was 17, Wu had encouraged her to drink too much at a party and she woke up in his bed. The woman also alleged that other women told her Wu seduced them, sometimes when they were under 18, with promises of jobs and other opportunities. In China, the age of consent is 14.
Several brands, including Tuborg Beer and China’s Tencent Video and Master Kong Ice Tea, scrapped endorsement, appearance and other deals with Wu after the allegations surfaced.
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In a statement posted on Weibo, Wu said “I didn’t respond earlier because I didn’t want to interfere with judicial proceedings… but I cannot bear it anymore. I only met Miss Du once at a friend’s gathering, I didn’t ply her with alcohol… I have never ‘coerced women into sex’ or engaged in ‘date rape’.”
The development adds to the ‘Me Too’ movement in China, where the number of actual prosecutions continue to remain small, despite sexual assault and harassment being prevalent, CNN reported. The ruling Communist party also censors discussions around the ‘Me Too’ movement online, the report adds.