Chocolate and candy supplier Mars Wrigley on Friday humbly apologized for a Snickers product launch that Chinese social media users said is Taiwan a country.
Videos and images of an event promoting a limited edition Snickers bar, said to be only available in the “countries” of South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan, went viral on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
Chinese users interpreted the phrase as a “gaff,” bringing it to the attention of Chinese Community Party honchos, who are notorious for punishing traders who step out of line with Beijing’s view of their affairs.
Within a short time, Mars Wrigley posted an apology on his Snickers China Weibo account, saying that the relevant content had been changed.
Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times said Mars Wrigley’s local team had “reviewed and reconciled the official website and social media accounts to ensure accurate content.”
“Snickers owner Mars Wrigley said he respects China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Chocolate and candy supplier Mars Wrigley on Friday apologized for a Snickers product launch that Chinese social media users said is Taiwan a country
A Chinese man stands in front of a screen showing a CCTV news program showing a map of locations across Taiwan where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was scheduled to conduct military drills and training activities including live-fire drills at a shopping mall in Beijing on Wednesday
A Chinese fighter jet – believed to be a J-11 – flies across the Taiwan Strait amid massive war games expected to last until Sunday
China launched at least 11 ballistic missiles on Thursday, some of which are believed to have flown over the island for the first time before landing in Japanese waters
Mars Wrigley is just one of several Western corporations that have recently been forced to apologize or retract criticism of CCP policies.
VF Corporation, which owns The North Face brand, and PVH, which owns Calvin Klein, both removed statements from their websites expressing concerns about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, under threat of being banned from the lucrative Chinese market.
Chipmaker Intel was forced to apologize for a letter it sent to suppliers urging them not to source their products or labor from Xinjiang.
While Nike and H&M both suffered a backlash last year after making statements about forced labor in cotton production in the region.
Even high-profile figures risk ruining their careers crossing Beijing, as former Premier League star Mesut Özil was frozen from his Arsenal football club after his comments in December 2019 about mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims.
Although Arsenal officials assured that the decision to drop the player was purely football-related, following his post, Ozil was removed from China’s version of the Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 video game, and the club’s next game against Manchester City was broadcast by state television channels CCTV canceled timeline.
And basketball star Enes Kenter had his team’s games pulled from a Chinese streaming platform because of his criticism of the country’s treatment of Tibetans.
Now, the issue of Taiwan’s independence and sovereignty is the latest red button issue that could draw Beijing’s wrath.
The region reached a boiling point this week when US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to the country amid a cloud of angry threats from Chinese leaders.
Within a short time of Chinese social media users pointing out the “gaffel,” Mars Wrigley posted an apology on his Snickers China Weibo account, saying the relevant content had been changed
Taipei said several Chinese jets and warships (pictured) crossed the “Center Line” — the unofficial maritime border between Taiwan and China — today
The Chinese warship Changchun, a Type 052 destroyer, is escorted by the Cheng Kung, a guided-missile frigate, while sailing in the Taiwan Strait
In response, China has launched four days of live fire drills across Taiwan that have violated its exclusive economic zone and effectively blockaded the island, prompting Taiwan to condemn its “evil neighbor.”
Taipei said several Chinese warships and fighters today crossed the “median line,” which runs down the middle of the Taiwan Strait and separates it from the mainland.
The line is an unofficial but previously widely recognized boundary that Beijing insists “no longer exists” as it seeks to assert control over its much smaller neighbor.
It comes after a day China fired missiles at Taiwan – some of which flew over the island for the first time – during massive war games that state media admit are a rehearsal for an invasion.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized these missile launches – some of which landed in Japanese waters – calling them a “significant escalation”.
Beijing began military drills late Tuesday when Pelosi visited the island and says they will continue until Sunday noon.
Taipei reported that Chinese warplanes and ships crossed the “center line” leading down the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning.
“As of 11 a.m., several groups of Chinese warplanes and warships were conducting drills around the Taiwan Strait and crossing the center line of the strait,” the Taipei Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Chinese incursions have become more frequent since Beijing declared in 2020 that the unofficial border no longer exists.
Beijing has insisted its war games are a “necessary” response to Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing, democratic island, but Washington countered that China’s leaders “have decided to overreact.”