The Gap has apologized for selling T-shirts that depicted what it called an “erroneous” map of China, which showed only the country’s mainland…
The Gap has apologized for selling T-shirts that depicted what it called an “erroneous” map of China, which showed only the country’s mainland — without several disputed regions that Beijing regards as Chinese territories. The U. S. clothing retailer announced that the T-shirt has been “completely withdrawn from the Chinese market and completely destroyed.”
“We are extremely sorry for this unintentional mistake,” The Gap said in a statement posted to the Chinese social media platform Weibo. “We are now conducting an internal investigation to correct the error as soon as possible.”
The company vowed that it “strictly abides” by the laws and regulations set by Beijing, which has for decades considered self-ruled Taiwan a renegade Chinese province. The U. S. also formally recognizes the island as part of China, under the One China policy that established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979.
Taiwan was left off the map of China depicted on the T-shirt. So were other territories that have been subject to international dispute, including areas in the South China Sea and apparently an Indian-administered region of the Himalayas that China claims as “South Tibet.
