China's state TV bans pig images to avoid offending Muslims
Posted: 27 January 2007 1618 hrs

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BEIJING: China's national state-run television network has banned all images of pigs from advertisements to avoid offending Muslim minorities, according to a company official.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2007 is the year of the pig. Across China, images of the animal are proliferating on billboards and in print advertisements as well as being used in promotional gifts in many shops.

There are 18 million Muslims in China, according to official statistics.

China Central Television (CCTV), a mouthpiece of the government, told AFP it was keeping images and spoken references to pigs off the screen to avoid arousing ethnic tension.

"CCTV is a national television network. Due to concern over ethnic and cultural habits, we will keep the pig image away from the screen," said a programme department official, who declined to give his name.

"We do not want to cause unnecessary bad influence or hurt the feelings of ethnic groups."

Global food giant Nestle said it had been forced to scrap a plan to air a new year TV advertisement featuring a smiling cartoon pig due to the state television station's opposition.

"It explained that this is to show respect to Islam and was an instruction from the higher levels of the government," said Thierry Vapperaeau, spokesman for Nestle China.

"It is not a big problem... we will change to another cartoon image."

- AFP/so