Spanish fashion brand Zara seeks to set itself apart from Hong Kong controversy, but does not support protests

Beijing / Madrid: Spanish fashion label Zara, seeking not to be involved in Hong Kong protests, issued a statement on Chinese social media, expressing support for China's sovereignty over the Asian financial center.

Zara, owned by the world's largest clothing retailer, Inditex, made the statement Monday after Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao asked if the closure of four Zara stores in Hong Kong was supportive of a student strike, prompting comments millions of people from the mainland media users.

Zara said in his statement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that he was supporting the "one country, two systems" policy under which China runs Hong Kong, and said he did not support the strikes .

The brand has become a hot topic on Weibo, with a hashtag "Zara Statement" accessed more than 170 million times from Tuesday morning.

A source close to Inditex said Tuesday that some Zara stores in Hong Kong had been forced to postpone their opening on Monday because staff was struggling to get to work due to transportation issues related to the protests, but that all Zara stores in Hong Kong have finally opened. On Monday.

Thousands of university and school students from Hong Kong boycotted the class on Monday and peacefully rallied for democracy, at the end of a marked weekend by one of the worst violence since the unrest that has intensified more than three months ago.

Stores in Hong Kong have often closed when events take place nearby.

Chinese brands and consumers are increasingly putting pressure on foreign brands to align themselves with contentious issues relating to China's sovereignty and land claims.

Inditex has hundreds of stores in China, including other fashion brands such as Massimo Dutti and Bershka alongside Zara. China ranks second behind the Spanish domestic market in a number of stores for the retailer.

Many Western fashion brands have been forced to clarify their positions on Chinese sovereignty, with Hong Kong demonstrations fueling nationalist fervor on social media.

Last month, a number of Chinese fashion brand ambassadors of fashion brands ranging from Coach to Givenchy broke their ties with companies that violated China's sovereignty by identifying Hong Kong and Taiwan as countries.

Last year, Zara was criticized on Chinese social media for placing Taiwan, an autonomous island that China considers a secessionist province, in a drop-down list of countries published on its Chinese website.