H&M Stores Vanish From China Maps as Xinjiang Spat Worsens
- H&M outlets not showing on Apple and Baidu map apps in China
- Retailer has drawn dismay in country for stance on Xinjiang
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Hennes & Mauritz AB outlets appeared not to show up on Apple Maps and Baidu Maps searches in China on Friday after the fashion retailer found itself at the center of an escalating spat over human rights in the contentious region of Xinjiang.
Users in Beijing reported that any searches for H&M in either Apple Maps on the iPhone or Baidu Maps returned no results. Competing retailers, such as Uniqlo outlets, continued showing as usual. A similar search in Google Maps showed over a dozen H&M locations in the capital or its vicinity, though that service is only accessible to locals via the use of a virtual private network that skirts a state ban on products from the Alphabet Inc. unit.