The stand of Hung Fook Tong during an expo held in 2014 in Hong Kong, China File photo: IC

Hong Kong-based food and beverage enterprise Hung Fook Tong is facing a boycott in the Chinese mainland after the company sparked widespread outrage among Chinese netizens with its statement on Monday claiming that one of its employees' pro-police views were "inappropriate." 

The Global Times found on Tuesday that Hung Fook Tong products have already been removed from China's major e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba's Tmall and JD.com.

A picture of a female Hung Fook Tong employee expressing support for the Hong Kong police has been circulating online since Sunday afternoon, which drew criticism from radical protesters, local news site takungpao.com reported on Tuesday.

Instead of protecting its employee, Hung Fook Tong said on its Facebook account that the employee's pro-police attitude represented "inappropriate" personal views, and the company would deal with the issue seriously.

What is really "inappropriate" is Hung Fook Tong's statement, netizens said on Chinese social media platform Weibo, calling for a boycott of the company's goods. 

Some people just won't learn, and if the company wants to join Taipan and give up the Chinese mainland market, "we should help them," a netizen said.

Hong Kong-based Taipan Bread & Cakes has been facing a boycott in the Chinese mainland since one of its board members expressed pro-riot views, with sales plummeting for its moon cakes - right before the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival when moon cakes are traditional snacks. 

A distributor in Beijing confirmed to the Global Times earlier that all Taipan-related products have been removed from its shelves.

Taipan's awkward situation is not confined to the Chinese mainland. A post on Monday in a Hong Kong-based store noted that consumers can "just pay HK$99 ($12.6) to redeem a box of Taipan snowy moon cakes worth HK$199, if you buy any product worth over HK$238."

Some netizens said that the continuous riots in Hong Kong have pressured some companies, including financial firms and commercial institutions, which support Hong Kong secessionist forces while coveting the mainland market.

According the Hung Fook Tong's financial report for the first half of the year, the company has 76 distributors in the Chinese mainland, covering 20 provinces and 47 cities. It also has cooperation with about 30 e-commerce platforms, and its new factory located in Kaiping, South China's Guangdong Province, started production in the second quarter of the year.


Newspaper headline: Food and beverage company facing sales boycott over riot stance