This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.A woman carries purchases from Abercrombie & Fitch as she walks past an Apple store in Beijing. Companies that do business with China walk a fine line to stay aligned with U.S. values such as freedom of speech and democracy. .The furor over a tweet by the Houston Rockets general manager in support of Hong Kong protesters is highlighting the fine line that U.S.
“It has a regime that doesn’t look like the United States,” Argenti said. “We can pretend it is a democracy, but it’s not.” In 2018, Gap pulled a shirt with a map of China that did not include Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing regards as Chinese territory, and apologized. Delta Air Lines, hotel operator Marriott and fashion brand Zara have all apologized to China for referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong or Tibet as countries on websites or promotional material. And Mercedes-Benz apologized for quoting the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in a social media post.
“Both countries have huge economies and are the world’s greatest innovators — they have too much to sell and license to each other to stay isolated in the long run,” he said. “Especially in high-tech products, China will soon be the largest market in the world, and America’s best companies can’t stay global leaders without a strong presence there.”