H&M issues in Asia are compounded by a “problematic” map of the region

Photographer: VCG / Getty Images

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Hennes & Mauritz AB’s troubles in Asia deepened after a “problematic” map on its website caught the attention of Chinese authorities, with the retailer’s attempts to solve the problem upsetting Vietnamese consumers.

The H&M unit in Shanghai was convened by two of the city’s regulators to correct image errors, and the company said it would make the rectification, according to the local branch of the Chinese Cyberspace Administration. Friday. He did not detail the corrections that were ordered and it is not clear immediately which map on the H&M site is in question.

The changes made by the Swedish company on its map violate Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty, Saigon newspaper Giai Phong reported, citing the president of one of the country’s consumer rights associations. H&M spokespersons in China and Stockholm did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.

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H&M has recently become a high-profile example of foreign companies being punished for crossing China’s policies in the face of the government’s pain against clothing retailers criticizing human rights violations in the cotton-producing Xinjiang region.

She was summoned by the Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army for a statement in September expressing concern about reports of Uighurs in forced labor. H&M 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 lines – the so-called nine-dashed line – that runs to a point about 1,800 kilometers south of the island. sale Hainan. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area and have faced China for which the claims are valid.

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Vietnamese law prohibits companies from using images that violate its 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 outlets across the country, the newspaper reports.

On the Internet, Vietnamese consumers criticized the Chinese authorities for the agreement reported by H&M. Some called for a boycott of H&M products, apologized to Vietnam and reinstated changes to the map or closed its outlets in Vietnam, Saigon Giai Phong said.

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