US candy maker Mars Wrigley has apologized and said it respects “Chinese sovereignty” after a Snickers video commercial portrayed Taiwan as a country.
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A promotional video for an event introducing a limited edition version of Snickers concludes with the words “only available in the following countries”, followed by the flags of South Korea, Malaysia and… Taiwan. It is a collaboration with the South Korean pop group BTS.
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The video was not intended for the Chinese market, but it was noticed by Chinese internet users, causing consternation.
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“We are aware of reports of a Snickers event being held in parts of Asia,” Mars Wrigley said in a statement Friday night. “We take this very seriously and offer our sincere apologies. We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.”
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Snickers China also posted an additional message on the social network Weibo afterwards. “There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.”
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The incident comes at a time when tensions between Beijing and Taipei are running high after the visit of top American politician Nancy Pelosi to the island. China responded by announcing military exercises near Taiwan.
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Chinese nationalism
The Chinese regime believes that the island of some 23 million inhabitants is a renegade Chinese province and that it should be reunited with the rest of the country. Beijing therefore opposes any international recognition of Taiwan.
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In recent years, nationalism has increased in China and companies have been forced to apologize more often for what are perceived as insults in the Asian country. For example, in 2019, French luxury brand Dior had to apologize for using a map of China where Taiwan didn’t appear in a presentation.
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A year earlier, the Marriott website in China had to be shut down for a week after a survey named Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong as separate countries. Many other companies have also chosen not to anger China and refer to Taiwan, for example, as Taiwan, China, such as KLM does, or Chinese Taipei. Under that name, the country is also participating in the Olympics because of Chinese pressure.
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