Marriott geography gaffe: China asks foreign firms to respect sovereignty

US-based hotel chain Marriot listed Tibet and Hong Kong as 'countries' in its survey; later apologises

China on Friday asked foreign companies investing in the country to "respect" its sovereignty and territorial integrity as it ordered a probe after a leading US-based hotel chain listed Tibet and Hong Kong as "countries".
 
Marriott International sparked an outrage in China when it sent out a questionnaire which asked members of its customer rewards programme to list their country of residence.
 
The options included Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
 
Shanghai authorities have investigated the American hotel corporation after it categorised the Chinese territories as "country" in a mail questionnaire, which caused a stir among its