China slams US criticism of its ‘Orwellian’ demand

China isn’t backing down after the White House called an order for airlines to stop referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as countries “Orwellian nonsense.”

The foreign ministry in Beijing said yesterday that all three places “are indivisible parts of China.” Hong Kong and Macau answer to Beijing, despite having different currencies, separate financial systems and elected legislators, while Taiwan is a democracy that has resisted rule by the mainland.

“Regardless of what the U.S. will say or do, it will not change the fact that there is only one China in the world,” spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular briefing, reiterating a statement Sunday. “We urge foreign companies to respect China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, respect Chinese laws and the feelings of the Chinese people. Those are the basics they need to do when they open and operate businesses in China.”

The spat comes shortly after a high-level U.S. delegation returned from two days in Beijing with little to show for talks aimed at averting a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Taiwan has emerged as another potential flash point, with U.S. President Donald Trump signing a law allowing high-level diplomatic visits there and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping launching military drills in the Taiwan Strait and warning that Beijing’s authority over the island was non-negotiable.

The White House on Saturday condemned China’s efforts to control how U.S. airlines refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, saying the push to make them comply with Chinese standards is “Orwellian nonsense.”

China’s Civil Aviation Administration has demanded the change from 36 foreign airlines, including some American carriers, according to the White House.

President Donald Trump will “stand up for Americans resisting efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to impose Chinese political correctness on American companies and citizens,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

“This is Orwellian nonsense and part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies,” Sanders said. She said the Trump administration is calling on China “to stop threatening and coercing American carriers and citizens.”

The White House statement shows that Trump might be taking a tougher line after companies from Marriott International Inc. to Qantas Airways Ltd. have scrambled recently to meet China’s demands regarding the territories or risk losing business. U.S. airlines were among several that received letters from China’s Civil Aviation Administration calling for strict guidelines for any references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the White House.

Taiwan’s independence-leaning president, Tsai Ing-wen, weighed in with a tweet, saying, “We call on all businesses to resist #China’s efforts to mischaracterize #Taiwan.”

The government of Chinese President Xi Jinping has been increasingly assertive about its claims to Taiwan, which it has threatened to invade to bring under its control. Delta Air Lines, hotel operator Marriott, fashion brand Zara and other companies have apologized to China for referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet as countries on websites or promotional material. MDT/Agencies