Bad blood with China? Blinken buys Taylor Swift album in Beijing
Add BT as a preferred source
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken snapped up a Taylor Swift album along with one by classic Chinese rocker Dou Wei during an unexpected detour to a Beijing record store on Friday (Apr 26) after talks in China meant to ease superpower tensions.
En route to the airport after a visit that included a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Blinken popped into the LiPi record store in the Chinese capital’s arts district where the owner handed him an album by Dou Wei, which he bought along with Swift’s 2022 record Midnights.
One of the aims of Blinken’s trip has been to emphasise the importance of what the State Department calls “people-to-people ties” as part of efforts to improve relations.
In the Beijing record store, he described mega pop star Swift, whose hits include Bad Blood from her fifth album in 2014, as a successful American export.
In 2019, Swift’s album Lover broke a new record for an international artist in China as it surpassed one million combined total streams, downloads and sales within a week of its release. The combined total made it China’s most-consumed full-length international album ever in such a short space of time.
Blinken, an avid musician and guitar player, described music as “the best connector, regardless of geography”, and said he loved vinyl records because of the liner notes.
Navigate Asia in
a new global order
Get the insights delivered to your inbox.
Asked by the shop owner what music he was into, Blinken, who is 62, said he loved everything but added: “I’m a bit stuck in the ‘70s.” REUTERS
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
TRENDING NOW
‘Boring’ is the new black: The stars are aligning for a Singapore stock market revival
Near sell-out launches in March boost developer sales to 1,300 units after four slow months
China pips the US if Asean is forced to choose, but analysts warn against reading it like a sports result
Genting Singapore’s Lim Kok Thay receives S$7.5 million pay package for FY2025
