The mother of Wanting Qu, the pop singer romantically linked to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, has been arrested in China on allegations of corruption, according to Chinese media.
Qu Zhang Mingjie is a high-ranking Communist Party official in the city of Harbin in northern China. She was dismissed from her position as the director of Harbin’s Urban Development Infrastructure Division in November.
According to state media outlet China Daily, Zhang Mingjie’s arrest is in relation to the sale of state properties below market value, for personal profit. She is reportedly currently in detention.
"It's been many months with no information and that's very tough," said Robertson. "I can't say any more about it; I have next to no information related to that situation."
Zhang Mingjie's daughter, Qu, has a huge musical following in China and Malaysia. Her two pop albums, sung in both English and Mandarin, have gone multi-platinum and Qu recently completed a 25-city world tour.
On Friday, Qu posted a black-and-white picture of her mother with the words "I miss her so much." She also posted a recording of her song "Life is a Struggle."
Qu, 31, moved to Canada more than 14 years ago. She came to study business but ended up signing a record deal in Vancouver. It was a decision that Zhang Mingjie initially disapproved of, she told CTV's W5 last year.
Qu and Robertson went public with their relationship back in February, a few months after Robertson separated from his wife.
Qu has not commented publicly on her mother's arrest.
With a report from CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer in Beijing
