House Committee Questions Hotel Chains on Taiwan’s Status
House Selection Committee members, Speaker John Mourenard (R-MI) and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), are set to question hotel chain CEOs this Wednesday about why their websites and promotional materials refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan of China.”
The letters were sent to Hilton Worldwide’s CEO Christopher J. Nassetta, Marriott International’s CEO Anthony Capuano, and Hyatt Hotels’ CEO Mark Hoplamazian. In the letters, Mourenard and Blackburn warned the executives that using this language “implicitly acknowledges Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).”
The two lawmakers stated that this characterization contradicts the U.S. government’s stance and suggested it undermines Taiwan’s status as a significant trading partner for the U.S.
They argued that using phrases like “Taiwan, China” falsely lends credibility to the PRC’s claims of authority and sovereignty over Taiwan, implying it is under PRC control. They noted that other major U.S. companies have appropriately recognized Taiwan as distinct from China and expressed hope that these hotel chains would do the same.
Mourenard and Blackburn also inquired whether their choices were influenced by any directives or guidelines from the PRC or associated entities.
Beijing has a known history of exerting both overt and subtle pressure on Western companies to conform to its preferred terminology. In one notable incident since 2018, clothing retailers faced backlash for selling t-shirts that depicted Taiwan, Tibet, and disputed islands in the South China Sea as separate from China.
In the same year, the three largest U.S. airlines altered their mentions of Taiwan on their websites, initially listing Taipei as just “Taipei.” They later modified this to classify Taiwan as a stateless city, drawing ire from Taiwanese officials.
Recently, Radio Free Asia checked the current status of the websites for Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt and found that all three still referred to “Taiwan in China.” When RFA reached out for comments, all three hotel chains declined to respond.
