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Swarovski becomes latest luxury brand to apologise to China for calling Hong Kong separate country on website
- Move comes after apologies by Versace, Coach and Givenchy over labelling of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau
- Jewellery company also loses support of brand ambassador, Chinese actress Jiang Shuying
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Austrian jewellery company Swarovski apologised on Tuesday for “hurting the feelings” of Chinese people after calling Hong Kong a separate country on its website, becoming the latest luxury brand to come under fire in China.
The apology from the jewellery brand came soon after several other luxury retailers apologised for mistakes in their labelling of the semi-autonomous cities of Hong Kong and Macau as well as the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Hong Kong has become a particularly sensitive subject for Beijing with the financial hub plunged into months of pro-democracy protests, and international brands have been caught in the crossfire.
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“We are extremely sorry for the Chinese people whose feelings have been hurt,” the jewellery firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Swarovski thanks the supervision of people from all walks of life and is willing to continue to build a harmonious society with the Chinese people.”
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