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
Saudi Arabia merges National Competitiveness Center and Saudi Business Center
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has merged the National Competitiveness Center and the Saudi Business Center under a unified entity named the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center to streamline business reforms.
The decision was announced during the Cabinet session held in Jeddah on Feb. 24 and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Majid Al-Kassabi, minister of commerce and chairman of the boards of both centers, praised the leadership’s continued support for the private sector, saying the merger will enhance Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness and elevate its ranking in relevant international indicators and reports.
He said the decision will enhance the Kingdom’s competitiveness and elevate its ranking in relevant indicators and reports. It will also facilitate procedures for starting and conducting economic businesses and provide all related services and work by adopting the best international methods and practices.
Al-Kassabi said the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center will continue delivering more than 6,000 government services to the business sector, in integration with relevant government entities, at the highest levels of quality and innovation. Services will be provided through the unified business platform and 20 branches across 15 cities.
He said the merger will unify channels for monitoring challenges facing the private sector and implement targeted reforms to facilitate business, adding that it will enhance the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and maximize the benefits of partnerships with local and international entities and organizations, especially in knowledge transfer and the exchange of expertise.
He said the center will work with the public and private sectors to place the Kingdom among the world’s most competitive countries and make its business environment a global model for the quality, smoothness and efficiency of government services directed to the business sector.
