[11] John drew incredibly harsh criticism during his concert in Beijing when he dedicated the show to dissident artist Ai Weiwei.
A state-owned newspaper accused the veteran British singer of being 'disrespectful' and said his actions could lead to a ban on other Western performers putting on shows in China.
The Global Times, a paper run by the ruling Communist Parties, The People's Daily, said in an editorial: "John's unexpected action was disrespectful to the audience and the contract that he signed with the Chinese side, he forcibly added political content to the concert, which should have been nothing more than an entertaining performance.
John himself is a senior entertainment figure, but has raised difficulties for future arts exchanges between China and other countries.
[21] Sources:[48][49] During the 2012 Asian tour the 2Cellos left the Elton John Band to pursue other projects following the release of their album In2ition.