By HUANG Shan
Italian jeweler Bulgari apologized on Tuesday after allegedly listing Taiwan as a separate country on a company website.
Furious Chinese netizens took it to Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, and called for Chinese celebrity ambassadors to cut ties with Bulgari.
Facing backlash, the LVMH-owned jeweler released a statement on Weibo, saying that it "steadfastly and always" respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Our brand has immediately corrected the mistakenly marked store addresses and map indications on the overseas official website, which resulted from management negligence," said the statement. “We deeply apologize for the mistake.”
China is Bulgari's largest regional market. Bulgari has 93 stores in China, covering all capital cities. The CEO has visited China numerous times since travel restrictions were lifted.
Bulgari is not the first foreign brand to face the wrath of Chinese netizens after listing Taiwan as a country. In 2019, luxury brands Givenchy, Coach and Versace were boycotted after similar mistakes regarding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
