Gap Apologizes to China for Offense Caused by T-Shirts

(Bloomberg) -- Gap Inc. became the latest international company to apologize for offending Chinese political sensibilities, pulling a T-shirt featuring a map of China that left out territories claimed by the country.

The apology was triggered by complaints from consumers reacting to pictures of a Gap-branded T-shirt posted on Chinese social media network Weibo. Users pointed out that a map printed on the shirt omitted territories claimed by China, including parts of southern Tibet, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Gap issued an apology late Monday on its Weibo account, saying it “respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.” The company said the product has been pulled from the Chinese market and destroyed.

The U.S. retailer is the latest international company to offer an open apology for the perceived political slight, following suit with Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Marriott International Inc. It comes after the White House recently blasted China's demand that U.S. and other airlines change the way they refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as “Orwellian nonsense.”

"We've learned that the map of China on a Gap brand T-shirt sold in some overseas markets contains errors,” Gap said in the statement. “We sincerely apologize for this unintentional error.”

Shares of Gap climbed 2.6 percent to $31.16 in New York Tuesday. They have dropped 8.5 percent this year.

Policing Companies

China has stepped up its policing of international companies from retailers to airlines to demand they respect the government's position on long-standing territorial disputes from Taiwan to Tibet.

Marriott International, Indetix SA-owned Zara and Delta Air Lines Inc. all also issued apologies for listing Tibet and Taiwan as nations on their websites earlier this year. Mercedes-Benz also apologized in February for using a quote from the Dalai Lama in a post showcasing a sleek luxury model.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement earlier this month that China's demands on airlines for strict guidelines for references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are “part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies.”

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Li Hui in Beijing at hli355@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: K. Oanh Ha at oha3@bloomberg.net, Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

With assistance from Li Hui