Fashion labels Coach and Versace have become the latest foreign brands to face a backlash from internet users in China, drawing fierce criticism across social media for referring to Hong Kong and Taiwan as countries. Chinese internet users on Monday circulated an image of US luxury brand Coach’s website that showed both regions could be selected under a menu titled “countries”. China claims Taiwan and Hong Kong as part of its territory. In a statement on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, Coach apologised and said it had corrected its website, adding that it “is committed to long-term development in China and respects the feelings of the Chinese people”. The incident came a day after Italian luxury brand Versace was forced into a “deep apology” after outraged internet users posted images apparently showing that one of its T-shirts labelled Hong Kong and Macau as countries. The news comes as pro-democracy protests continue within Hong Kong in response to the perceived increase in the influence of Beijing on the territory.

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Financial Times