A Snickers advertisement caused enough of an outrage for referring to Taiwan as a country that Snickers’ parent company Mars Wrigley issued an apology.

In the ad, a limited edition Snickers bar is being introduced in the countries of South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The inclusion of Taiwan caused a stir on Chinese social media, as the candy bar company could be seen as making a call for Taiwan independence, something the U.S. officially does not support. That’s what Mars was convinced of anyway, as they issued an apology attempt through the Snickers China Weibo account.

“Mars Wrigley respects China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and conducts its business operations in strict compliance with local Chinese laws and regulations,” the company wrote, according to a report from Reuters.

The company also reportedly corrected the advertisements in question.

China state-run media outlet Global Times had also reported on the Snickers apology, announcing, “Snickers owner Mars Wrigley said it respects China’s natl sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“Snickers on Fri apologized for marking Taiwan island as a country, saying its local team has verified & aligned the official site and social media accounts to ensure accurate content,” they tweeted, along with a reported screenshot of the post from Weibo.

Snickers on Fri apologized for marking Taiwan island as a country, saying its local team has verified & aligned the official site and social media accounts to ensure accurate content. Snickers owner Mars Wrigley said it respects China’s natl sovereignty and territorial integrity. pic.twitter.com/TshespKEf5

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 5, 2022

The controversy follows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) trip to Taiwain where she accused China of increased aggressions against Taiwan. The White House made clear ahead of the trip that it does not support an independent Taiwan. Pelosi also made clear that her visit does not impact the official U.S. policy on Taiwan independence.

The post Snickers Apologizes For Referring to Taiwan as a Country in Ad: ‘Respects China’s National Sovereignty’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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