Hong Kong (CNN) A new trailer for the sequel of 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun" is stirring up controversy because it shows Tom Cruise putting on the iconic bomber jacket he wore in the original film — but with two key changes.

In the Paramount Pictures trailer of "Top Gun: Maverick," two jacket patches that had originally shown the Japanese and Taiwanese flags appear to have been swapped out and replaced with two ambiguous symbols in the same color scheme — leading to social media speculation that the swap was done to appease China.

Tencent TCEHY Several Twitter users quickly pointed out that Chinese tech giantis one of Paramount's partners on the movie, which is slated to release next summer. Tencent said in December that its subsidiary Tencent Pictures is "an investor and co-marketer" of the highly anticipated sequel.

Viacom VIA Paramount Pictures, which is owned by, and Tencent Pictures did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the trailer of "Top Gun: Maverick," two jacket patches that had originally shown the Japanese and Taiwanese flags (left) appear to have been swapped out and replaced with two ambiguous symbols in the same color scheme.

Chinese and Japanese relations have long been fraught, with tensions flaring in recent years over disputed islands in the East China Sea.