The White House rebuked China for demanding that U.S. air carriers meet the standards of the country’s Communist Party when referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
In a statement Saturday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called the effort “Orwellian nonsense.”
“President Donald J. Trump ran against political correctness in the United States,” Sanders said. “He will stand up for Americans resisting efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to impose Chinese political correctness on American companies and citizens.”
The statement explained that the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration had submitted a letter to a group of foreign carriers, including American entities, instructing them to meet the Communist Party’s standards when referencing “Taiwan,” “Hong Kong,” and “Macao” on their websites and promotional material.
“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.
“The United States strongly objects to China’s attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content,” the statement continued. “We call on China to stop threatening and coercing American carriers and citizens.”
The issue is controversial because Beijing views Taiwan as a rebellious province, even though it is a self-ruled island. Additionally, Hong Kong and Macau are part of China, but primarily operate independently.
