caption A Delta Air Lines plane lands at Los Angeles. source Mario Tama/Getty Images US airlines had until July 25 to delete any mention of Taiwan as a country from their websites, or face a raft of unclear but potentially damaging consequences from Chinese authorities. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have made the change – dropping any country descriptor for the airport in Taipei – and United Airlines is expected to shortly follow suit. Beijing claims a number of contested territories, but is particularly sensitive about Taiwan, a self-ruled island that it considers to be a province of China. It has used fines, public shaming, and the introduction of social credit scores for corporations to force foreign companies to adopt its political rhetoric. These are all the companies that have been pressured by China to make political changes within the last 18 months. Audi source Audi Audi AG was one of the first countries to be targeted in a new wave of political crackdowns on foreign companies. At a press conference in March last year, Audi used a map of China that left off Taiwan, South Tibet, and part of the northwestern Xinjiang region. Audi then apologized for using an “incorrect geographical map.” “The map offended Chinese people. It was a serious mistake for which Audi wants to sincerely apologize,” the company said in a statement. Muji caption A woman walks outside a newly opened Muji store at a shopping mall in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. source REUTERS/Stringer In… [Read full story]
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