Vice President Mike Pence had strong words for both the NBA and the Chinese government during a major policy speech on Thursday, accusing the sports league of behaving like a “wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime” in its response to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
“Lately, China has also been trying to export censorship, the hallmark of its regime,” the vice president said in remarks at The Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. “By exploiting corporate greed, Beijing is attempting to influence American public opinion.”
“Some of the NBA’s biggest players and owners, who routinely exercise their freedom to criticize this country, lose their voices when it comes to the freedom and rights of the people of China,” Pence charged. “In siding with the Chinese Communist Party and silencing free speech, the NBA is acting like a wholly-owned subsidiary of that authoritarian regime.”
The NBA continues to weather criticism for apologizing to China over a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressing support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Morey tweeted and deleted a logo with the phrase, “Fight for Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.”
The expression of support angered Chinese sponsors of the NBA, some of whom pulled their sponsorships. The NBA then released an apologetic statement distancing itself from Morey’s tweet, a move that sparked a wave of criticism in the U.S. from prominent politicians and media figures.
Pence also took aim at Nike, saying the footwear company’s removal of Houston Rockets merchandise from Chinese stores in the wake of the controversy shows that the company, which “promotes itself as a so-called social justice champion” in this case “prefers checking its social conscience at the door.”
“Far too many American multi-national corporations have kowtowed to the lure of China’s money and markets by muzzling not only criticism of the Chinese Communist Party but even affirmative expressions of American values,” Pence said.
Pence’s remarks come as the Trump administration continues to hope for a trade agreement with the world’s second-largest economy. President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month in Chile at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in hopes of agreeing on “phase one” of a trade deal.
The vice president accused China of moving to “curtail the rights and liberties” of the people of Hong Kong and warned that any violence by China against Hong Kong would harm Beijing’s chances of getting a trade deal with the U.S.
“President Trump has made it clear from early on that there must be a peaceful resolution that respects the rights of the people of Hong Kong,” Pence said.
Pence also criticized the Chinese Communist Party for the government’s handling of other issues, including suppressing the freedom of religion of the Chinese people, namely Uighur Muslims.