China furious with Marriott Hotels after chain suggests Tibet is a country

The global hotel chain Marriott has issued a profuse apology to the Chinese authorities after describing Tibet as a separate country, a move interpreted by some as “disrespecting the sovereignty” of the People’s Republic.

Marriott is under investigation after an email it sent to members of its loyalty scheme were asked to name the country where they lived. The choices included Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, all of which are regarded by the Beijing government as being part of China.

Tibet is officially known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The Foreign Office warns British travellers: “Don’t attempt to travel there without the right permits.” After a UK diplomat was allowed to visit Tibet in 2014, the Government reported: ”Security in the TAR is substantial and entrenched. A propaganda campaign against the Dalai Lama continued.

“Episodes of unrest continued in 2014. Local authorities reportedly used lethal force to disperse protestors in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, in August. Reports suggest that five Tibetans died.”

Taiwan, the island which calls itself the Republic of China, is regarded by Beijing as part of the People’s Republic. In October a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office told Reuters: “Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, has never been a country and can never become a country.”

The former British and Portuguese territories of Hong Kong and Macau respectively are now part of the People’s Republic.

A user of the Sina Weibo social media site, “Zhongjusaodi”, posted screen shots from the Marriott Rewards survey. The user said that the English-language version of the survey did not contain the options. Some social media users have called for a boycott of Marriott.

The authorities in Shanghai Huangpu District ordered Marriott to delete the content that caused offence and to check its online platforms to prevent any repeat.

Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive of Marriott International, issued a statement saying: “We don’t support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups. We recognize the severity of the situation and sincerely apologize.

“We will be taking the necessary disciplinary action with respect to the individuals involved, which could include termination, changing our approval and review procedures for online content, reviewing our customer feedback channels, and enhancing training to ensure these situations don’t happen again. We are also working closely and co-operating with the relevant Government authorities in China.

“We will learn from this experience, make changes to ensure errors like this don’t happen again, and continue to focus on making sure our Chinese guests feel respected and have wonderful experiences as we have the privilege of serving them in our hotels in China and around the globe.”

The UK, in common with other Western governments, respects Chinese sensitivities by refusing officially to acknowledge Taiwan’s independence. The Foreign Office says: “The UK does not recognise Taiwan as a state and has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan.” However, both Taiwanese airlines, China Airlines and Eva Air, operate frequent flights between London and the capital, Taipei.

Marriott operates two hotels in Taipei.