WASHINGTON—The White House on May 5 sharply criticized China’s efforts to force foreign airlines to change how they refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, labeling China’s latest effort to police language describing the politically sensitive territories as “Orwellian nonsense.”
Amid an escalating fight over China’s trade surplus with the United States, the White House said China’s Civil Aviation Administration sent a letter to 36 foreign air carriers, including a number of U.S. carriers, demanding changes.
The carriers were told to remove references on their websites or in other material that suggests Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are part of countries independent from China, U.S. and airline officials said.
Taiwan is China’s most sensitive territorial issue. Beijing considers the self-ruled, democratic island a wayward province that it will eventually reunite with the mainland, whether by force or coercion. Hong Kong and Macau are former European colonies that are now part of China but run largely autonomously.
The White House said in a statement that 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.”
“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. ... We call on China to stop threatening and coercing American carriers and citizens.”
On May 6, China’s foreign ministry responded to the White House comments, arguing that overseas companies operating in China should respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The White House’s sharp criticism follows contentious trade talks between senior U.S. and Chinese officials last week.
The Trump administration demanded a $200 billion cut in China’s trade surplus with the United States by 2020, sharply lower tariffs, and a halt to subsidies for advanced technology, people familiar with the talks said.
“My group just got back from China. We’re going to have to rework China because that’s been a one-way street for decades,” Trump said at an event in Cleveland, Ohio on May 5.
