Bloomberg News
Date: May 27, 2018

Photographer: Martin Leissl/Bloomberg

Most of the foreign airlines that agreed to tweak references to Taiwan to reflect the island as part of the mainland China have been given more time to comply as Beijing extends a crackdown on companies over its stance on disputed territories.

Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG are among airlines that have made changes to their websites, while those that have received or applied for an extension include United Continental Holdings Inc. and ANA Holdings Inc.The Civil Aviation Administration of China said late Friday that all 44 carriers that were asked to modify their Taiwan references will do so. Eighteen made the required changes before a May 25 deadline, and the rest asked for extensions and were given until as late as July 25 to comply, the regulator said.

Taiwan has been a repeated flash-point as President Xi Jinping flexes China’s economic clout on the global stage, forcing companies including Gap Inc. and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz to apologize for offending the mainland’s political sensibilities. Air carriers from United to ANA received letters from the regulator calling for strict adherence to guidelines on references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau on websites and promotional materials, a move the White House called “Orwellian nonsense.”    [FULL  STORY]