John Cena is trying to make amends after a recent blunder.
The pro wrestler apologized to China after he referred to Taiwan as a country, when it's considered a province by the Chinese.
According to The New York Times, the incident took place during an interview with Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS. After reportedly studying Mandarin for years, Cena said in the language, "Taiwan is the first country that can watch" his new Fast and the Furious movie F9.
He then posted a video in Mandarin on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, saying, "I made a mistake." Per the NYT, Cena continued, "Now I have to say one thing which is very, very, very important: I love and respect China and Chinese people."
The Blockers star added, "I'm very sorry for my mistakes. Sorry. Sorry. I'm really sorry. You have to understand that I love and respect China and Chinese people."
However, not everyone accepted his apology right away. According to the NYT, one popular comment read: "Please say ‘Taiwan is part of China' in Chinese. Otherwise, we will not accept your apology."
LeBron James is another world-renowned athlete that has weighed into the controversy surrounding China and Taiwan. His saga started when the Houston Rockets' general manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted support for Taiwan protesters in 2019, which lead James to claim he was "either misinformed or not really educated on the situation," per NBC News.
Cena will star as Jakob in F9 when it debuts on June 25, alongside co-stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
The film comes eight months after Cena married Canadian engineer Shay Shariatzadeh in a secret ceremony.
He previously dated Nikki Bella, who recently told Lisa Vanderpump why things didn't work for the pair.
"We wanted different things," Nikki recalled. "I really wanted to be a mom and he didn't want to be a father. But then in the end he was like, 'Look, I will give you a kid,' but I knew deep down in his heart it's not what he wanted. And I was so afraid that years down the road he would just have regrets and resent me for making him a father."