Nike, Apple, Amazon among top firms named by China for ‘misidentifying’ Taiwan
- Dozens of transnational companies accused of violating Chinese law
- Taipei condemns Beijing report as latest effort to pressure self-ruled island into unification talks
Taiwan has condemned a Beijing effort to pressure foreign companies – including Nike, Apple and Amazon.com – to list the island as part of China, in what observers said was a fresh attempt to force Taipei to the negotiating table for unification talks.
A total of 66 international firms were singled out for “misidentifying” Taiwan on their websites, in an annual report on cyber rule of law in China published this week by the Social Science Academic Press in Beijing.
The report, which covered 500 top transnational companies based in 32 countries, including the US, Japan and Germany, also named 53 firms for “misidentifying” Hong Kong.
The 2018 Annual Report on Cyber Rule of Law called for the relevant authorities to punish the companies by either removing their licences or suspending their operations on the mainland if they refused to correct their mistakes.
The report said the companies had either deliberately violated or were not aware of the one-China principle, which it said was backed by international and domestic law, adding that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China must be protected.