Marriott International has become entangled in the middle of the political dispute between China and Taiwan.
In January Marriott listed Taiwan and China as separate countries which Chinese authorities took offence to. As a response, the Chinese government went as far as shutting down Marriott’s Chinese website for a week. Marriott’s hand was forced, and so the hotel brand changed the Taiwan hotel’s listing location to say “Taiwan, China.”
This solution proved only to be short-term, however, as the people of Taiwan responded negatively to this change. Now Taiwanese hotel Four Points by Sheraton Zhonghe has denounced Marriott and proclaimed its separation from the brand. Marriott has found itself in a catch-22, where they either risk losing their Chinese website or their partnerships with any hotel in Taiwan.
The People’s Republic of China and Taiwan both recognise themselves as the “legitimate government of China” and so when a business or authority acknowledges one or the other, the opposing state is angered. The Chinese Government has recently threatened to take action against companies United Airlines and American Airlines for referencing separatism between Taiwan and China. Both airlines gave way to the Chinese Government’s demands and change location names to Taiwan, China.
