Mercedes-Benz has become the latest foreign company to run afoul of Beijing's policies on Tibet and other Chinese-claimed regions, apologising for "hurting the feelings" of the people of China for quoting the Dalai Lama on Instagram. The German auto giant joined several international companies that have backpedalled recently for offending Chinese consumers with advertising or information that clashes with Beijing's official position.
Mercedes' seemingly benign post to its official Instagram account showed a Benz on a beach before rolling white-capped waves. "Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open," the ad copy ran, citing the Dalai Lama, who is seen by Beijing as a separatist.
"Start your week with a fresh perspective on life from the Dalai Lama," the carmaker wrote in the tagline. The Zen post immediately drew criticism from Chinese internet users for quoting the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, whom Beijing accuses of being a "wolf in monk's robes" seeking Tibetan independence through "spiritual terrorism".
The Dalai Lama has called for granting Tibetans greater autonomy within China, but not independence. While Instagram is blocked in China and inaccessible to most Chinese - and the post was penned in English - Mercedes-Benz quickly deleted the photo after the outcry and issued an apology on China's Twitter-like Weibo social media platform.
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