A Taiwanese coffee chain has become the latest business to bow to pressure from Beijing after Chinese web users threatened a boycott over a visit to one of its stores by the island's president. Tsai Ing-wen stopped off at a Los Angeles branch of the 85C Bakery Cafe this week during a US stopover in which she became the first Taiwanese leader to give a public speech on American soil in 15 years.
Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that considers itself a sovereign state but has never declared formal independence. China views the island as part of its own territory and is always swift to condemn any move that could be interpreted as de facto diplomatic recognition of the government in Taipei - such as allowing Tsai to transit on formal diplomatic business.
Internet users on the mainland lashed out at the coffee chain over Tsai's visit, with comments flooding its official Weibo account, China's popular Twitter-like platform, many with boycott threats. "Get out of mainland China!," read one angry message. "85C is a 'Taiwan independence' two-faced company. We mainland Chinese should boycott this kind of garbage company," said another post.
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