Photographer: Qilai Shen / Bloomberg
Photographer: Qilai Shen / Bloomberg
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Hennes & Mauritz AB’s problems in Asia deepened after a “problematic” map on its website caught the attention of Chinese authorities, with the retailer’s attempts to resolve the issue irritating consumers in Vietnam.
The H&M unit in Shanghai was called by two city regulators to correct errors in the image, and the company said it would do the rectification, according to the local arm of the China Cyberspace Administration on Friday. It did not go into details about the corrections that were requested and it is not immediately clear which map of the H&M website is in question.
Changes made by the Swedish company to its map are infringing on Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty, reported the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper, citing the president of one of the country’s consumer rights associations. H&M spokesmen in China and Stockholm did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.
Broken in China: the terrible year of H&M CEO Helena Helmersson
H&M has recently become a high-profile example of foreign companies punished for crossing China’s political lines, facing the weight of government anger against clothing retailers who criticize human rights abuses in the cotton-producing region of Xinjiang.
He was summoned by the Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army for a statement dated September that expressed concern about reports of Uighurs in forced labor. H&M’s outlets have disappeared from Apple Maps and Baidu Maps searches, and some stores in smaller cities have been closed by owners.
China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea and supports its claim with a 1947 map showing vague strokes – the so-called nine-streak line – descends to a point about 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) south of its Hainan island. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area and have discussed with China which claims are valid.
China has an 800,000 square mile ‘city’ in the South China Sea
Vietnamese law prohibits companies from using images that violate their sovereignty, which the nine-line line represents, Saigon Giai Phong said. H&M opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 and now has 12 stores across the country, the newspaper said.
On the Internet, Vietnamese consumers criticized H&M’s acquiescence reported to Chinese authorities. Some called for a boycott of H&M products, demanded that the company apologize to Vietnam and restore the map changes or close its stores in Vietnam, Saigon Giai Phong said.
Why the South China Sea fuels US-China tensions: QuickTake
H&M is the latest example of a company being caught in geopolitical crossfire as countries dispute issues ranging from sovereignty claims to maritime boundaries.
In 2019, Vietnam ordered cinemas to stop showing DreamWorks Animation’s “Abominable” because it showed the nine-line on a map. In the same year, Vietnam said it would fine the local Volkswagen AG distributor and an importer for displaying a car with a navigation application that reflects Chinese territorial claims.
Although Vietnam was the most energetic nation in the region in reaction to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, tensions also increased between the Philippines and China.
The presence of hundreds of Chinese ships near a reef in the South China Sea last month shows Beijing’s intention to occupy more disputed areas, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Sunday.
The Chinese embassy in Manila said the waters where the ships were sighted were “traditional fishing grounds” and “part of China’s Nansha Islands”. The Philippines issued a formal diplomatic protest to China on the matter, saying that the presence of the vessels raised concerns about overfishing and the safety of navigation.
– With the help of John Boudreau, Lin Zhu, Rafaela Lindeberg and Daniela Wei