This article originally appeared on ABACUS Global hotel chain Marriott learnt a hard lesson in January -- don’t mess with the One China Policy. The global hotel chain saw its website and app blocked in China for a week after the company listed Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as separate countries in a customer survey. Adding to Marriott’s problems, what the company calls a “careless ‘like’” on Twitter of a tweet supporting Tibetan independence. China claims all of those regions as its own. It controls Tibet, Hong Kong and Macau, while Taiwan rejects Beijing’s rule. The kerfuffle forced an unlikely statement from the hospitality chain: We do not support Chinese separatists. “Marriott International respects and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China,” CEO Arne Sorenson said in an apologetic statement . Marriott says it has over 100 hotels in the Greater China region. For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters , subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast , and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report . Also roam China Tech City , an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus .
