US candy giant Mars Wrigley has insisted it “respects China’s national sovereignty” and apologized after an advertisement for its Snickers bar referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage in China.
Screenshots of marketing for the nutty confectionery featuring the South Korean pop group BTS were swiftly picked up on social media in China.
“We are aware of reports on Snickers-related activities in certain regions of Asia, take this very seriously and express our deep apologies,” said a Mars Wrigley statement posted on Friday on the company’s Sina Weibo account.
The company has asked Snickers’ marketing team to check and adjust its official Web site and social media accounts “to ensure the company’s publicity content is accurate,” it said.
“Mars Wrigley respects China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and conducts business operations in strict compliance with local Chinese laws and regulations,” the company’s statement said.
Hours after the first statement, Snickers China shared another Weibo post adding that “there is only one China in this world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.”
China said on Friday that it was ending cooperation with the US on key issues such as climate change, and has for the past few days encircled Taiwan in a series of military drills.
Mars Wrigley is far from the first international firm to issue an apology over worries of losing access to China’s massive consumer market.
French luxury brand Dior in 2019 apologized after using a map of China in a presentation that did not include Taiwan.
Hotel chain Marriott’s Web site in China was shut down by authorities for one week in 2018 after a customer questionnaire listed Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong separately from China.
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