Daimler Apologizes After Dalai Lama Post Draws Outrage in China

Daimler Apologizes After Dalai Lama Post Draws Outrage in China<br />It featured a quote popularly attributed to the Dalai Lama: "Look at the situations from all angles,<br />and you will become more open." The Instagram post provoked an outcry from Chinese internet users, many of whom pledged to boycott the Mercedes brand.<br />6, 2018<br />The German carmaker Daimler publicly apologized on Tuesday after its Mercedes-Benz<br />brand caused an outcry in China by quoting the Dalai Lama in a social media post.<br />Last month, the American hotel chain Marriott International publicly pledged<br />that it did not support separatist elements in China after it listed Tibet and Taiwan, a democratic island that Beijing considers to be a breakaway province, as separate countries.<br />The post on the Mercedes-Benz Instagram account, which was widely viewed before being deleted,<br />carried the hashtag "#MondayMotivation" and showed a white Mercedes car on a beach.<br />Many companies, including Apple and Yum Brands, which owns the restaurant franchises Pizza Hut and KFC, have had to apologize because of an internet-savvy population<br />that is quick to stoke a backlash against foreign businesses.<br />Many in China view the Dalai Lama as a dangerous voice for separatism in a region, Tibet, that they consider an integral part of their country.