TAIPEI: Luxury Italian sports-car brand Maserati has cut sponsorship ties with Taiwan’s top film awards, the latest international brand to bow to pressure from China on political issues.
“Maserati has always respected China’s territorial integrity, its history and culture while firmly upholding the ‘one China’ principle,” the firm said, using Beijing’s official phrase for classifying Taiwan as part of communist China. As punishment, it cut official communications, stepped up military exercises and poached half a dozen diplomatic allies.
International brands have routinely found themselves bowing to Beijing’s stance on Taiwan – a much smaller market compared to the lucrative mainland.
Is it in a way this Italian marque also acknowledging the nine-dash ?