Dior apologises to China after showing wrong map in video presentation

On October 17, French luxury brand Christian Dior has apologised to China for using a map that excluded Taiwan in a video presentation. In its apology, it said that it supported China's territorial sovereignty. Dior said that it extends its deepest apologies for incorrect statement and misrepresentation made by a staff member in a campus presentation. Dior also abstained from elaborating any further on whether the company planned to take any action against the employee.

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The incident

Apart from the South China Sea islands, Taiwan is China's most sensitive territorial issue. Reports say that Beijing considers self-governing island nation as a province and part of 'one-China'. The incident includes a map error which occurred during a presentation Dior was making about its boutique network at Zhejiang Gongshang University in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou which was viral on China's Weibo, a social media platform. 

As per a staff member in the university's office, Dior held a recruitment drive event on October 16 and there was a problem with maps it had displayed. Dior in a statement said that it will seriously investigate the incident. 

Dior said that it always respects and upholds the one-China principle. It also said that it strictly upholds China's sovereignity and territorial integrity, and the feelings of the Chinese population. It finally added that it will take precautions to prevent similar incidents in the future. 

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Dior latest to get involved in political issues

Dior has become the latest foreign brand to get embroiled in political issues involving China which has recently become more defiant in its territorial claims. Apart from Dior, other fashion labels such as Givenchy, Coach, and Versace are amongst companies who have issued similar apologies in the past few months.  At the time of publishing, the Dior statement was among the most viewed on Weibo with a reported 100 million views. 

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(With inputs from Agencies)