KFC, Apple Face Chinese Wrath As Govt Blames US for Adverse Ruling

Chinese media blamed the US for the unfavourable ruling over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

To the challenges faced by KFC and Apple in China, add a surprise backlash from Beijing’s spat with the Philippines over the South China Sea.

Nationalists are protesting at KFC outlets and calling for a boycott, spurred by the government’s accusations that Washington encouraged Manila to oppose Beijing’s claims to vast tracts of the strategic waterway.

Photos circulated online show young Chinese wearing scarves with patriotic slogans, smashing Apple iPhones in protest.

State media has fanned public anger with a torrent of criticism after last week’s ruling by a UN tribunal, which found no legal basis for Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea.

The protests are a reminder of the political risks for global brands in China, where they regularly become targets of nationalist sentiment, often stirred up by official media.

In 2012, sales of Japanese autos plunged when Tokyo and Beijing were in a dispute over control of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

However, reacting to the development, the Chinese government has tried to calm this week’s protests with demands in the state media to leave foreign companies and their customers alone.

This is not the right way to express patriotism.

Xinhua News Agency

The state-run China Daily newspaper has condemned the protests and called them ‘jingoism’ that does “disservice” to the spirit of devotion to the nation.