Because of the Great Wall of China, American corporations must compromise their beliefs in order to do business there. However, history shows that profits always take precedence over principles. NBA issue, which until now had been a difficulty for stores, airlines, hotels, internet businesses and every other business that wished to establish in China, is now clearly obvious. China’s harsh political attitude on Hong Kong protests, Uyghur Muslims, Tibet and Taiwan’s claims to independence had to be followed by all businesses in the nation, or they would not be allowed to conduct business there.
As a result of the pro-Taiwan protests in Hong Kong, airlines were required to update their drop-down menus and maps to include “Taiwan, China.” The government of China wants that Taiwan be considered part of the country’s mainland despite its democratic nature and local government governance. Chinese aviation authorities have also called for Macau and Hong Kong to be considered as part of mainland China. Since then, the United States government has called the strategy “crazy” and stated that the United States will reject any attempt by the Communist Party to impose Chinese correctness on its citizens and businesses.
A public apology by GAP for a T-shirt that included a China map but omitted Taiwan makes it clear that private businesses rarely stand up to the Chinese authorities. Earlier this week, it was discovered that even Apple is omitting the Taiwan emoji from its keyboard, while Marriott dismissed an employee for liking a social media post for Tibet last year. For social activists, who believe that the Chinese state is utilising American technology to undermine human rights standards that are held in high esteem in the United States, the issue of T-shirts and plane tickets is a key one.###
