Brands drop Chinese-Canadian star Kris Wu over sex allegations

Mr Wu denies the accusations and says he has filed a defamation suit

Several brands in China have cut ties with top Chinese-Canadian celebrity Kris Wu after he was accused of coercing young girls, including minors, into having sex with him.

The allegations, by a woman who says she was one of his victims, have been met with outrage in China.

Some have called for Mr Wu, 30, to quit entertainment and leave the country.

Mr Wu, a popular singer and actor, denies the accusations and says he has filed a defamation suit.

Du Meizhu, a 19-year-old university student, posted allegations online that Mr Wu had coerced teenage girls into having sex with him by promising lucrative opportunities in the music or acting industries - opportunities which never materialised.

On Sunday, Ms Du gave an interview with the NetEase site, alleging that she knew of at least eight victims, including herself. Two of the victims were minors, she alleged. In China, the age of consent is 14.

Ms Du has said she met Mr Wu when she was 17 years old, alleging that she was invited to his home along with other girls, where they were pressured to drink alcohol. The next day she woke up in his bed, she said.

She alleged that Mr Wu would pay other women he had slept with to introduce him to more girls.

Ms Du also said Mr Wu paid her 500,000 yuan ($77,130; £56,100) to "keep quiet", but she decided to speak out as she wanted to be "the last victim". She said she was repaying the money and was ready to face legal action.

Mr Wu's management team has denied the allegations - accusing Ms Wu of fabricating the story - and said it is taking legal action.

On Monday, he wrote on microblogging platform Weibo: "I didn't respond earlier because I didn't want to interfere with judicial proceedings... but I cannot bear it anymore."

He added: "I only met Miss Du once at a friend's gathering, I didn't ply her with alcohol."

He denied that he had enticed girls to have sex in return for benefits, raped anyone while they were unconscious, or had sex with minors.

Since the allegations surfaced, Shanghai cosmetics brand Kans and detergent brand Liby have terminated Mr Wu's contracts.

TV programme Ethereal Sound also said that it would no longer work with him, according to a report in the Global Times.

Other brands such as Kiehl's and snack brand Bestore removed mentions of him on their Weibo pages.

Mr Wu was formerly a member of the popular K-pop group Exo, but returned to China in 2014 to strike out on his own as a singer and actor.