US airlines just gave into China's 'Orwellian' demands over Taiwan — here's every company that's done the same

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US airlines had until July 25 to delete any mention of Taiwan as a country from their websites, or face a raft of unclear but potentially damaging consequences from Chinese authorities.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have made the change — dropping any country descriptor for the airport in Taipei — and United Airlines is expected to shortly follow suit.

Beijing claims a number of contested territories, but is particularly sensitive about Taiwan, a self-ruled island that it considers to be a province of China. It has used fines, public shaming, and the introduction of social credit scores for corporations to force foreign companies to adopt its political rhetoric.

These are all the companies that have been pressured by China to make political changes within the last 18 months.

SEE ALSO: China wants to dictate how foreign airlines refer to Taiwan and the US is having none of it — this is how every major airline is responding

Audi

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Audi AG was one of the first countries to be targeted in a new wave of political crackdowns on foreign companies.

At a press conference in March last year, Audi used a map of China that left off Taiwan, South Tibet, and part of the northwestern Xinjiang region.

Audi then apologized for using an "incorrect geographical map."

"The map offended Chinese people. It was a serious mistake for which Audi wants to sincerely apologize," the company said in a statement.

Muji

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In August 2017, Muji imported to China 119 clothes hangers that listed Taiwan as the "country of origin". It emerged this year that the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce fined the Japanese retailer 200,000 yuan ($31,280) as punishment.

Muji was accused of breaking advertising law which protects China's "dignity or interests," and is still one of the most serious breaches.

But in October 2017, Muji again drew the ire of China's National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation for publishing what the agency deemed to be an incorrect map of China in a store catalog. The map left off the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands which both Beijing and Taipei make claims to.

At the time Muji took "appropriate measures" and destroyed the catalog.

Mariott International

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When Marriott International listed Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as countries in a questionnaire email to customers in January, the Shanghai arm of the Cyberspace Administration took action.

Authorities interviewed Marriott managers in China about a potential breach of cybersecurity and advertising laws and Marriott was ordered to take down its website and app for a week.

The CEO of Marriott International issued a public apology saying the company "respects and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China... We recognize the severity of the situation and sincerely apologize."