“A publicity event for Apple’s new smartphones that referred to ‘Hong Kong,’ ‘Taiwan’ and ‘China’ as separate markets – rather than parts of a single country – has sparked fresh fury in certain quarters of the Chinese media and among some internet users over what they perceive as the latest example of a foreign firm’s lack of respect for the nation’s sovereignty,” Zhuang Pinghui reports for The South China Morning Post.
“When speaking about the new iPhone XS, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing, said that shipping would begin on September 21 to ‘all of these markets,’ as a slide projected behind him showed the flags and names of 30 places around the world,” Zhuang reports. “Included on the list were China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
“Beijing regards Taiwan, which is a self-ruled democracy, as a wayward province and an inalienable part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary,” Zhuang reports. “While some raced to demonise Apple for the perceived misstep, others were more phlegmatic [writing] ‘China is being so extremely sensitive [on such matters]. This isn’t the behaviour of a confident nation … When can we, Chinese citizens, become more broad-minded?'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Schiller said “markets,” not “countries.”
uh…STFU China!
Took the words right out of my mouth.
It’s ok Tim. Go ban something. It will make you feel better.
Geez, China, can you just get over it? This is getting so old…
Insecure much?
Is this the first time Apple has referred to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in this manner? I suppose I had always thought there was some sort of separation from mainland China (PRC), excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. I guess I’m just ignorant and might have started a war for thinking that way. Apple sure gets criticized for all sorts of things. Apple does business with those people and I would think they should know better. For one thing, a market doesn’t have to mean country. It could just mean a region or location.
No, it’s just recently that China’s been making a stink about it. They’ve been pressuring airlines to rename Taiwan as “Republic of China” as well.
The thing is… Taiwan is the name of the island as well…
It would be like an American taking offence at someone saying “Honolulu, Oahu” instead of Honolulu, USA. There are some who still feel that the USA stole Hawaii away… and that the Kingdom of Hawaii’s hand was somewhat forced.
Most Americans probably wouldn’t care if Hawaii declared independence if Hawaii was to decided on independence to become the Kingdom of Hawaii again, right?
Same thing with Taiwan. The Taiwanese people ( who speak Hokkien ) were there before ROC Chinese invaded… so they should be able to decide to stay or not.
China’s not letting them self-determine their status.
Oh, I see. Thanks for the clear explanation.
The ROC never invaded Taiwan. It was the Nationalist Chinese under Sun Yat Sen that retreated to Taiwan when they lost mainland China to the Communists after WW2.
If the flag exists, they can post it.
If they posted the Arizona flag, no one would care.
Hey China, why don’t you post some military unites in Taiwan and see how unified Taiwan (and the world) thinks you are?
“units” – MDN, I hate not having editing capabilities.
Currently in Taiwan for a business trip.
Really funny how I can read a single MDN ad 🙂
Your stupid comment makes no sense. You can read a single ad? Cool story, bro
Hey Scumbag China. THEY ARE SEPERATE. GO FUCK YOURSELFS.
Learn some etiquette and some grammar while you are at it.
right now it’s all sort of meaningless.
read the complete article, it’s less inflammatory.
Those anti Apple statements are just like someone picking the most inflammatory political statements made by some including elected officials of USA (which I won’t describe to avoid flame war misunderstanding ) as being ‘typical’ of USA attitudes.
Just back from Asia, my brother was an expat in China for several years. People there don’t take government statements seriously.
As for Taiwan NOTE FOXCONN Apple’s contractor IS A TAIWANESE company which has factories in CHINA ! which employs hundreds of thousands.
The Taiwanese and Chinese do business and cross invest all the time.
(Historical note the current Taiwanese govt. started off from the remnants of the defeated army who lost to Mao who escaped to the island. Officially to China Taiwan is a ‘rebel’ province , probably thought of as more like a ‘misguided cousin’ . Besides verbal rhetoric I doubt China has any hostile intent towards Taiwan, like I said they do business all the time.
BTW Hong Kong was a territory given to Britain for a set number of years after China lost the Opium War which started when Britain tried to force China to import British Opium made in British Burma (now the Golden Triangle) . Britain via the British East India Company at that time was like a Columbian Drug Cartel , historical notes like this explains China’s paranoia a bit… Also btw During the Colonial period in 1800s USA marines burnt down Beijings Royal Palace and looted it… )