TALKING TOUGH

White House Dismisses China’s Airline Demands as ‘Orwellian Nonsense’

After Beijing threatened to punish American airlines for not specifying that Taiwan is part of China.

The White House on Saturday responded harshly to demands by the Chinese government that U.S. airlines refer to Taiwan as part of China on their websites. Chinese authorities had reportedly threatened international airlines including American Airlines and United Airlines with harsh punishments if they state or even suggest that Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are in any way separate from China. The White House dismissed the requirements as “Orwellian nonsense” in a statement released by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “President Donald J. Trump ran against political correctness in the United States,” she said. “He will stand up for Americans resisting efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to impose Chinese political correctness on American companies and citizens.” The statement came just after a U.S. delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin met with Chinese business leaders in Beijing on Friday.