Chinese state press criticized today the football club Real Madrid for a social media post in memory of the victims of the floods that affected Nepal and Tibet. The criticism is based on the fact that the club equated the two territories in the same message.
The Chinese Communist Party newspaper considered the joint reference to the two territories "incorrect." China considers Tibet an autonomous region under its control, and not an equivalent or independent territory.
Real Madrid published a message paying tribute to the victims of the floods that occurred both in Nepal and in the Tibet Autonomous Region, triggering the controversy with Chinese authorities.
This is not the first time that international brands have faced criticism in China for issues related to how Tibet is referred to or represented, in a context of diplomatic sensitivity of the Asian country.
