Taiwan Bans HUAWEI Smartphones Over Hurt Feelings :(

HUAWEI just can’t catch a break – Taiwan just banned three of their smartphones… over hurt feelings!

Find out what happened, and what this could mean for HUAWEI and the tumultuous Taiwan-China relationship.

Taiwan Bans HUAWEI Smartphones Over Hurt Feelings 🙁

On 14 November 2019, the Taiwanese National Communications Commission ordered Taiwanese companies to stop offering HUAWEI P30, HUAWEI P30 Pro and HUAWEI nova 5T smartphones for sale.

The reason? Because the Taiwanese government discovered that their software used “Taiwan, China” for time zones and contacts.

This mistake is offensive to Taiwanese government because it implied that Taiwan is part of China, and not a separate country – a sovereignty dispute that has existed since the Communists took over mainland China.

According to Peter Niou, a deputy director at Taiwanese National Communications Commission, the reference impaired Taiwan’s national dignity, and would continue until HUAWEI changed the incorrect reference to Taiwan.

It was reported by the Economic Daily News that this reference to Taiwan, China only appeared recently, after a software update.

Didn’t China Do The Same Thing?

Indeed, China is no stranger to banning companies over this sovereignty dispute. Here is a short list of companies they ban-hammered over similar slights :

Marriott : For listing Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as independent countries in a survey

Versace : For releasing t-shirts that identified Hong Kong and Macau as independent countries.

Gap : For selling a t-shirt that featured a map of China without Taiwan.

Christian Dior : For using a map of China without Taiwan in a presentation.

Zara : For listing Taiwan as an independent country on its website.

Delta Airlines : For listing Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries.

What Does The HUAWEI Ban Mean For Taiwan – China Relations?

While it may sound like a big shock, this new ban by the Taiwanese government on HUAWEI smartphones is very measured in nature.

The Taiwanese government only banned the three affected models, instead of a blanket ban on HUAWEI, which is something China would have done if the situation was reversed.

They even explicitly stated that the ban would be lifted as soon as the mistake was corrected.

It is also important to note that even as the Trump Administration has been pressuring the Taiwanese government to freeze the sale of semiconductor chips to China, they have not done so.

In fact, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) said earlier this month that it would continue producing chips for HUAWEI.

Therefore, it is doubtful that China would chime in on this issue. That said, it would not be politically-viable for HUAWEI to issue a correction right away.

We think they will let this issue blow over, before quietly releasing an update to change the reference.

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Taiwan Bans HUAWEI Smartphones Over Hurt Feelings :(