American retailer Gap late on Monday apologised for failing to “reflect the correct map of China” — one that did not include Taiwan — on one of its T-Shirts. “[We] have decided to immediately pull back this T-shirt from all the concerned global markets,” the company said.
The map also appeared to leave out southern Tibet and the disputed South China Sea, the state-owned Global Times said. The photos were taken at a Gap shop in Canada’s Niagara region, the paper said. The shirt could not be found on Gap websites and it wasn’t clear whether it was still being sold in shops.
Gap is the latest of several companies that have apologised for perceived slights to China’s sovereignty. Delta Air Lines, hotel operator Marriott and fashion brand Zara are among businesses that have apologised to China for referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet as countries on promotional material. Mercedes-Benz said sorry for quoting the Dalai Lama on social media.
