by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:30 AM ET, Wed April 12, 2017
In the wake of the United Airlines public-relations disaster surrounding the treatment of an Asian-American passenger, outrage against the airline is making headlines in China.
Video of the man being forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight in Chicago caused backlash in the United States, and it has drawn even more criticism from people in China after state-run media released the footage as well.
According to CNN.com, videos and photos from the incident were shared on Chinese social media service Weibo and have been viewed almost 300 million times as of Wednesday morning. Many commenters expressed outrage at the incident, with some calling for a boycott of the American airline and others saying they would never fly with the carrier again.
Chinese-born comedian Joe Wong also shared his views on the situation via Weibo.
"Many Chinese people feel they've been subject to discrimination," Wong said. "They stay silent because they fear losing face. That's why the Western mainstream media and public don't take discrimination against Asians seriously."
[READMORE] READ MORE: Social Media Reacts to United Airlines Controversy[/READMORE]
In a report from CNET.com, some United Airlines customers in China are posting images to social media of cut-up membership cards. This is a massive blow for United, which says it provides the most nonstop U.S.-China flights of any airline.
The backlash has hurt United's stock already, as the company lost nearly $600 million in market value in one day. While officials from the airline, including CEO Oscar Munoz, have issued formal apologies, the backlash both in China and in the U.S. continues.
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