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January 15, 2018

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Home » Nation

3 firms rebuked for calling Taiwan ‘nation’

Source: Agencies | 00:01 UTC+8 January 15, 2018 | Print Edition

CHINESE regulators have rebuked fashion brand Zara, Delta Air Lines and medical device maker Medtronic for calling Taiwan a “country” on their websites.

Zara, Delta and Medtronic were ordered to remove the “illegal content” and make public apologies, airline and Internet regulators said. Other airlines were ordered to check their own websites.

Delta has apologized for listing Tibet and Taiwan as “countries” on its official website and promised to take immediate measures to correct the mistakes.

Delta apologized deeply for the serious mistakes that have hurt Chinese people’s feelings and it was taking immediate steps to resolve it, said a statement posted on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The American carrier said it will have a careful check for other possible errors and avoid such mistakes in the future.

In the letter of apology to the CAAC and on its official website, Delta said it is fully committed to China and Chinese customers as China is one of its most important markets.

The CAAC has summoned representatives of Delta, urging the company to issue an immediate and public apology, and to investigate the incident thoroughly and publish investigation outcome in a timely manner.

On the Chinese version of Delta’s official website, it listed Chinese territories, including Tibet and Taiwan, as “countries” in a drop-down menu.

In an online notice, the CAAC on Saturday asked all foreign airlines operating in China to conduct self-checks on their websites, mobile apps and other platforms for similar mistakes including regarding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as “countries.”

“If there are such cases, actions should be taken immediately to rectify the mistakes,” the CAAC said.

Meanwhile, Zara added a three-sentence statement to its website expressing “sincere apologies” and said it would conduct a “self-examination.”

The hotel chain Marriott was ordered last week to shut down its Chinese mainland website and app for a week after it sent out a customer survey that included Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong in a list of countries.

“Cyberspace is not an extralegal place, and multinational corporations should abide by relevant laws and regulations,” the Shanghai Cyberspace Authority said.

Zara and Medtronic were required to conduct a comprehensive self-examination, it said.

Marriott executives were questioned by Shanghai police in an investigation of possible violation of cybersecurity laws, according to news reports.

Arne Sorenson, chief executive of Marriott International, said the company “respects and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.”

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