Muji fined by China for packaging referring to Taiwan as a country
Packaging used by the Japanese retailer to import 119 clothes hangers from Japan gave Taiwan as the country of origin
Chinese authorities have fined Japanese retailer Muji 200,000 yuan (US$31,300) for using packaging that listed Taiwan as a country for some of its products sold in China, reflecting Beijing’s hardline stance on territorial issues.
The company’s China head office, located in Shanghai, imported 119 clothes hangers from Japan last August in packaging that read “country of origin: Taiwan” in Chinese, the official media China Industry and Commerce News reported on Wednesday.
The Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce imposed the fine in late March on the grounds that it violated Chinese advertising law, which warns against hurting China’s dignity and interests.
The report cited a statement from the administration which can be found through the central government’s national enterprise credit system – a national database of the trustworthiness of companies registered in China.
The hangers were sold by Muji’s Taobao shop and physical stores in unspecified cities. It was unclear how many of the commodities had been sold.
“The party did not properly fulfil their inspection obligations, which led to the above-mentioned goods entering the market to be sold,” the regulator said.