GAP apologises for wiping out Taiwan from map in new T-shirts
Gap confirmed the apology and its wording in an email, and added that 'this batch of products has been pulled off shelves in the Chinese market and destroyed'
US retailer Gap Inc apologised on Monday for selling a T-shirt which it said had an incorrect map of China, adding it would implement "rigorous reviews" to prevent a repeat mistake.
The apology came after a person posted pictures of the T-shirt on Chinese social media network Weibo, saying that Chinese territories, including south Tibet, the island of Taiwan and the South China Sea, were omitted from the map. The user said the photo of the T-shirt was taken at an outlet store in Canada.
Gap confirmed the apology and its wording in an email, and added that "this batch of products has been pulled off shelves in the Chinese market and destroyed."
"Gap Inc. respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. We've learned that a Gap brand T-shirt sold in some overseas markets failed to reflect the correct map of China. We sincerely apologise for this unintentional error," it said in a statement posted on its Weibo account on Monday evening.
The company also hoped it’s action would calm the firestorm of criticism that had been wiped up on the popular Chinese social site Weibo
Gap's apology comes as China has been ramping up efforts to police language used to describe Chinese-claimed territories such as Taiwan. Other US companies which have issued apologies for similar incidents include Delta Air Lines and Marriott International Inc.
Earlier this month, the White House sharply criticised China's efforts to force foreign airlines to change how they described Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau on their websites as "Orwellian nonsense."