BEIJING: US clothing retailer Gap has apologized to China over a T-shirt with a map showing the mainland but omitting Taiwan, becoming the latest foreign firm to run afoul of Beijing’s policy on the self-ruling island.
China, which considers Taiwan a rebel province awaiting reunification, has taken airlines, hotels and other companies to task in recent months for listing the island as a separate country on their websites.
The Gap shirt, which was sold in overseas markets, features a map of China, but Taiwan does not appear to the southeast of the country, according to a photo of the company’s online store posted on the Twitter account of the official People’s Daily newspaper.
The state-run Global Times newspaper said the map also omitted South Tibet and the South China Sea, and that it had prompted hundreds of people to complain on Gap’s official account on China’s Weibo microblogging website.
The US company issued its apology on Weibo late Monday, saying it “respects the integrity of China’s sovereignty and territory.”
“We are terribly sorry for this unintentional mistake. We are doing internal checks to correct the mistake as soon as possible,” Gap said.
“We have removed the product from the Chinese market and destroyed them all.”
The company said it strictly abides by Chinese law and will devote itself to greater scrutiny to avoid similar errors in the future.
The Global Times quoted Gap as saying that the T-shirt had not been released in China.
US hotel chain Marriott, Spanish clothing giant Zara and a slew of airlines have faced China’s wrath for not classifying Taiwan as part of China on their websites.
The White House hit back at the push earlier this month, calling the demands placed on airlines “Orwellian nonsense.”
The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration had sent a notice to 36 foreign airlines, including a number of US carriers, on April 25, asking them to comply with Beijing’s standards, according to the White House.
In January, Australia’s Qantas Airways changed its website classification of Taiwan and Hong Kong from separate countries to Chinese territories, blaming its earlier approach on an “oversight.”
Taiwan has been self-ruled since splitting from the mainland after a 1949 civil war, maintaining its own government, military and independent foreign policy.
Gap ‘terribly sorry’ over T-shirt China map without Taiwan
Gap ‘terribly sorry’ over T-shirt China map without Taiwan
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes higher at 10,596
RIYADH: Saudi equities closed higher on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index rising 43.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to finish at 10,595.85, supported by broad-based buying and strength in select mid-cap stocks.
Market breadth was firmly positive, with 170 stocks advancing against 90 decliners, while trading activity saw 161.96 million shares change hands, generating a total value of SR3.39 billion.
Meanwhile, the MT30 Index closed higher, gaining 6.52 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,399.11, while the Nomu Parallel Market Index edged marginally lower, slipping 3.33 points, or 0.01 percent, to 23,267.77.
Among the session’s top gainers, Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. surged 9.99 percent to close at SR26.20, while Saudi Cable Co. jumped 9.98 percent to SR147.70.
Cherry Trading Co. rose 4.18 percent to SR25.44, and United Carton Industries Co. advanced 4.09 percent to SR26.46.
Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co. also posted solid gains, climbing 4.07 percent to end at SR32.70.
On the downside, Emaar The Economic City led losses, slipping 3.55 percent to SR10.32, followed by Derayah REIT Fund, which fell 2.92 percent to SR5.31.
Derayah Financial Co. declined 2.13 percent to SR26.62, while United International Holding Co. retreated 1.96 percent to SR155.20, and Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. eased 1.92 percent to SR10.70.
On the announcements front, Red Sea International Co. said it signed a SR202.8 million contract with Webuild S.P.A. to provide integrated facilities management services for the Trojena project at Neom.
The agreement covers operations and maintenance for the project’s Main Camp and Spike Camp, including accommodation and housekeeping, catering, security, IT and communications, utilities, waste management, fire safety and emergency response, as well as other supporting services.
The contract runs for two years, with the financial impact expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Shares of Red Sea International closed up 0.99 percent at SR34.74.
Al Moammar Information Systems Co. disclosed that it received an award notification from Humain to design and build a data center dedicated to artificial intelligence technologies, with a total value exceeding 155 percent of the company’s 2024 revenue, inclusive of VAT.
The contract is expected to be formally signed in February 2026, underscoring the scale of the project and its potential impact on the company’s future revenues.
MIS shares ended the session 2.82 percent higher at SR156.70, reflecting positive investor sentiment following the announcement.
