On a Saturday in Bangkok, the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia took the stage with a conspicuous hole where much of the continent's musical voice should have been. China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan were absent, leaving South Korea as the only major pop power present. The reasons are partly a matter of institutions that do not easily meet: China's regulated broadcasters parted ways with the contest after a censorship dispute, while the others remain in unfinished negotiations. The contest now looks toward future editions, hoping that the silences of this year will become conversatio
Eurovision Asia Launches Without China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia or Japan, Leaving Gaps in Its Pop Map
The only large pop powerhouse in the contest was South Korea.
Mark
Why does it matter that these countries weren't there? It's a song contest.
Mimi
Because the pitch was Asia's diversity in pop. Take out China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan and the biggest audiences and best-known genres, Bollywood, Mandopop, Cantopop, JPop, are missing. South Korea was the only large pop power left.
Luke
Worth noting that's the article's framing of who counts as a powerhouse. It's reasonable, but it's a judgment.
Mark
Why is China's absence the easy one to explain?
Mimi
There's a documented history. Mango TV had a deal to broadcast Eurovision, and it was canceled in 2018 after the broadcaster censored gay themes and blurred rainbow flags.
Luke
But that history explains China's past, not necessarily this decision. Nobody quoted says why China didn't enter this time. The producer only said talks hadn't concluded.
Mark
And the other countries?
Mimi
Blecher said discussions with Chinese, Japanese and Indian broadcasters weren't finished in time, and that they are knocking on the door.
Luke
That's his account, and it's a hopeful one. Pakistan and Indonesia aren't addressed at all, and we don't know if any of these countries will join.
Mark
The piece also raises fear of finishing last.
Mimi
Yes, as a possible reason, using Britain's one-point last place this year as the example. It's an inference, though, not something any broadcaster said.
Il Polso
- Asia's largest pop cultures were missing from the debut of Eurovision Asia in Bangkok, leaving the lineup strikingly thin.
- China's exit traces back to a 2018 cancellation of its Mango TV deal after gay-themed performances were censored.
- Organizers say talks with Chinese, Japanese and Indian broadcasters stalled before the deadline rather than collapsing.
- Assaf Blecher insists those broadcasters are still knocking, and organizers expect them at future editions.
- Pakistan and Indonesia have no clear explanation in the reporting, so their absence remains an open question.
On a Saturday in Bangkok, the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia took the stage with a conspicuous hole where much of the continent's musical voice should have been. China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan were absent, leaving South Korea as the only major pop power present. The reasons are partly a matter of institutions that do not easily meet: China's regulated broadcasters parted ways with the contest after a censorship dispute, while the others remain in unfinished negotiations. The contest now looks toward future editions, hoping that the silences of this year will become conversations rather than permanent gaps.
On Saturday in Bangkok, the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia went ahead, and it was meant to showcase how varied Asian pop really is. Yet China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan were all missing. Only South Korea arrived as a major pop power, and the gaps strip away some of the region's most loved traditions, from Bollywood to Cantopop to the JPop that once filled airwaves across Asia.
China's absence has the clearest cause. Eurovision performers reach the contest through local broadcasters, and China's are tightly regulated. In 2018 the contest canceled its deal with Mango TV after the broadcaster censored acts with gay themes and blurred rainbow flags. Former Eurovision official Frank-Dieter Freiling called that censorship a betrayal of the contest's values.
The other absences are less explained. Executive producer Assaf Blecher said talks with Chinese, Japanese and Indian broadcasters had not finished in time, and he insisted they are still knocking. He offered nothing on Pakistan or Indonesia. There may also be a quieter reason: skipping the contest spares a regional heavyweight the risk of finishing last, as Britain and Germany did this year.
For now, organizers describe the missing talks as unfinished rather than closed, and they expect China, Japan and India to return for future editions.
On Saturday in Bangkok, the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia went ahead with a lineup that was missing a good deal of the continent. The competition was meant to show the world how varied Asian pop music is, but China, India, Pakistan and Indonesia, the four most populous nations in Asia, were not in it. Neither was Japan, a country widely regarded as a cultural powerhouse.
The gaps cut into some of the region's best-known musical traditions. India has its Bollywood hits. China has produced both Mandopop and Cantopop, the latter associated with Hong Kong pop stars. JPop was once enormously popular across Asia. With those cultures absent, the only large pop power in the contest was South Korea.
China's absence is the easier one to explain. Performers enter Eurovision through local broadcasters, and the contest has long had an awkward relationship with China's, which are heavily regulated and try to reflect the government's social and political values. Mango TV once held a deal to carry the high-camp Eurovision to Chinese viewers. Eurovision abruptly canceled it in 2018 after Mango TV censored acts whose performances featured gay themes, and also blurred rainbow flags in the performance arena.
Frank-Dieter Freiling, a former Eurovision official, said in an interview that this kind of censorship ran against the contest's values. He added that organizers had historically barred broadcasters from airing the competition on a delay.
Why broadcasters in India, Pakistan, Japan and Indonesia stayed out is less clear. Assaf Blecher, the executive producer of Eurovision Asia, said conversations with Chinese, Japanese and Indian broadcasters had not concluded in time. He insisted that they "are knocking on our door." The reporting offers no explanation from him for Pakistan or Indonesia.
Staying out also spared those countries a possible embarrassment: being the regional heavyweight that finishes last. Europe offers the precedent. Britain and Germany often do badly at Eurovision. In this year's show, Britain's Look Mum No Computer placed last with a single point, and Germany finished third from last. When that happens, political commentators tend to give interviews suggesting the results reflect those countries' poor standing across Europe.
For now, organizers say the missing talks are unfinished rather than closed, and they expect China, Japan and India to come to the table for future editions.
Citazioni salienti
Talks with Chinese, Japanese and Indian broadcasters had not concluded in time, but they "are knocking on our door."— Assaf Blecher, Eurovision Asia executive producer
Censoring acts with gay themes was against Eurovision's values, and organizers had historically barred broadcasters from airing the show with delays.— Frank-Dieter Freiling, former Eurovision official (paraphrased)
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