The China Economic Review notes:

China Central Television has banned all images and spoken references to pigs to avoid offending Muslims, the Wall Street Journal reported. Advertisers, like Nestle and Coca-Cola, have been forced to make last-minute changes to campaigns designed with pig motifs.

Pig-themed ads were made to welcome the new lunar year, the Year of the Pig, which begins February 18th.

"China is a multi-ethnic country. To show respect to Islam, and upon guidance from higher levels of the government, CCTV will keep any 'pig' images off the TV screen," the network announced. Pigs are popular animals in China and are seen as symbols of prosperity. China's 20 million Muslims make up less than 2% of the country's population.

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