Italian fashion brand Bulgari apologized to Beijing for not showing Taiwan as part of Chinese territory on its website.
For businesses or countries that deal with China, whether or not Taiwan is part of China is a fine line to walk. Beijing sees the island as part of its territory despite never having ruled the island.
Bulgari listed store locations in Taiwan and China separately on its website.
On the store locations page of its website, the brand listed Taiwan as is, instead of saying “China’s Taiwan.”
A Chinese news outlet reported on it and China’s social media quickly dolled out backlash against the brand. Internet users even threatened a boycott.
The company later posted a statement. Saying it “sincerely apologized and immediately corrected the mistake.”
China is a heavyweight in the luxury goods market. A report by PWC said the country will take up a quarter of the global market share in two years.
Taiwan isn’t the only red line for Beijing. Both Nike and H&M came under fire in China after they expressed concerns over the forced labor in Xinjiang.