EXCERPT:
TAPPER: "But what caught our attention was the patch on Maverick's bomber jacket, the red and blue Taiwanese flag. Now, a trailer for the film that came out in 2019 did not show that patch, but instead an ambiguous symbol. This was taken as a sign that Paramount Pictures would be yet another studio following in a grand corporate American tradition of refraining from angering the Chinese government for fear of losing access to its lucrative market, in this case by recognizing that Taiwan and its self-governance were a priority. So, why did Paramount decide to bring back the Taiwanese flag, making it highly unlikely that 'Top Gun: Maverick' will be released in the huge market of China? Well, Paramount did not respond to a request for comment, but one of the film's initial big backers, Chinese company Tencent, withdrew its backing from the film in 2019, according to 'The Wall Street Journal,' which cited unnamed sources. No reply from Tencent either.”