Chocolate maker Mars apologises after suggesting Taiwan is a country

Mars has issued an apology after it referred to Taiwan as a country during a recent promotion for its Snickers bar.

The chocolate maker had shared videos and pictures of an event promoting a limited-edition Snickers bar on social media.

However, it said it was only to be available in the 'countries' of South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan.

The post ended up going viral on Chinese microblogging platform, Weibo, with users highlighting it to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – a group notorious for punishing companies that step out of line or offend its views.

Jeppe Gustafsson/Alamy Stock Photo

Mars Wrigley, the parent company of Snickers, quickly amended its content and issued an apology on the platform.

"We are aware of reports on Snickers-related activities in certain regions of Asia, we take this very seriously and express our deep apologies," the statement which was posted on Friday read.

"Mars Wrigley respects China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and conducts business operations in strict compliance with local Chinese laws and regulations."

But when some Weibo users insisted the confectionary company failed to recognise Taiwan was part of China, a second statement from Mars Wrigley was reportedly posted to the Weibo platform stating: "There is only one China in this world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory."

This isn’t the first time big-name brands have apologised for mislabelling the Asian regions.

In 2018, Australian airline Quantas amended its website to refer to Hong Kong and Taiwan as Chinese Territories rather than countries.

Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo

During that time, the Marriott's Chinese website was shut down by Beijing authorities after it referred to Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong as separate countries.

Dior also issued an apology after it made a 'mistake in representation' when it didn’t include Taiwan in a map during a presentation at the University of China.

In its statement the luxury brand said: “Dior has always respected and upheld the principle of one China, strictly upholding China's rights and complete sovereignty, treasuring the feelings of Chinese citizens."

However, brands who have chosen to stand up to the CCP have faced boycott by the country.

Last year H&M said it refused to use Xinjiang cotton which is produced with forced labour.

China orchestrated the boycott of the clothing brand as part of its strategy to push back against sanctions from the West over human rights abuses in the region.

A social post by the CCP’s youth division at the time read: “Spreading rumours to boycott Xinjiang cotton while also wanting to make money in China? Wishful thinking!” 

Chinese state media also said the Swedish brand would 'definitely pay a heavy price for its wrong actions'.

Soon after searches for H&M products and stores were blocked on Chinese e-commerce platforms and online map platforms.

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