Photographer: Qilai Shen / Bloomberg
Photographer: Qilai Shen / Bloomberg
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Hennes & Mauritz AB’s problems in Asia deepened after a “problematic” map on its website caught the attention of Chinese authorities, with the retailer’s attempts to resolve the issue infuriating Vietnam’s consumers.
H&M’s Shanghai unit was summoned by two of the city’s regulators to correct image errors and the company said it will carry out the rectification, according to the local arm of China’s Cyberspace Administration. Friday. He did not delve into the corrections that were requested and it is not immediately clear which map of the H&M website is in question.
The changes made by the Swedish company to its map violate Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty, Saigon newspaper Giai Phong reported, citing the president of one of the country’s consumer rights associations. H&M spokespersons in China and Stockholm did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.
Not made in China: the terrible year of H&M CEO Helena Helmersson
H&M recently became a prime example of foreign companies punished for crossing China’s policies, facing the weight of government anger against clothing retailers who criticize human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region , a cotton producer.
She was summoned by the Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army for a statement dating back to September and expressing concern over reports of Uighurs in forced labor. H&M outlets disappeared from Apple Maps and Baidu Maps searches, and some properties closed some smaller city stores.
China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea and backs up its claim with a 1947 map showing vague dashes: the so-called nine-dash line, which runs to a point of about 1,800 kilometers south of its island of Hainan. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan are claiming parts of the same maritime zone and have disputed with China over which claims are valid.
China has an 800,000-square-kilometer “city” in the South China Sea
Vietnamese law prohibits companies from using images that infringe on their sovereignty, which represents the nine-line script, Saigon Giai Phong said. H&M opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 and now has 12 outlets nationwide, according to the newspaper.
On the Internet, Vietnamese consumers criticized the acquiescence reported by H&M to the Chinese authorities. Some called for a boycott of H&M products, demanded the company apologize to Vietnam and restore changes to the map or close its outlets in Vietnam, Saigon Giai Phong said.
Why the South China Sea fuels US-China tensions: QuickTake
H&M is the latest example of a company caught in geopolitical fires as countries fight over issues ranging from claims of sovereignty to maritime borders.
In 2019, Vietnam ordered cinemas to stop screening DreamWorks Animation’s “Abominable” because it showed the line of nine scripts on a map. That same year, Vietnam said it would fine the local dealer and an importer of Volkswagen AG for displaying a car with a navigation app that reflects Chinese land claims.
While Vietnam has been the region’s strongest nation in backtracking on Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea, tensions have also spread between the Philippines and China.
The presence of hundreds of Chinese ships near a southern China sea reef shows Beijing’s intention to occupy more disputed areas last month, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Sunday.
The Chinese embassy in Manila said the waters where the boats were sighted were “traditional fishing areas” and “part of China’s Nansha Islands.” The Philippines had filed a formal diplomatic protest in China over the issue, saying the presence of the ships raised concerns about overfishing and safe navigation.
– With the assistance of John Boudreau, Lin Zhu, Rafaela Lindeberg and Daniela Wei