Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA in a speech Thursday criticizing China's record on trade and human rights, saying the communist nation is trampling on the 'rights and liberties' of protesters in Hong Kong.Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team's general manager angered the Chinese government with a tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong.Pence, who is often the face of the Trump's administration's tougher policies on China, said the NBA and Nike had failed to defend Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey after he tweeted support of Hong Kong protesters earlier this month.'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 other peoples,' he said.By 'siding with the Chinese Communist Party and silencing free speech, the NBA is acting like a wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime,' Pence added.President Donald Trump himself, however, at one point this fall promised Chinese president Xi Jinping that he would remain silent about the Hong Kong protests so the contrroversy wouldn't overshadow trade negotiations. Vice President Mike Pence slammed the National Basketball Association and Nike as he discussed U.S.-China relations on Thursday at the Wilson Center's inaugural Frederic V. Malek Public Service Leadership Lecture, in Washington Hundreds of protesters gathered to express their anger about Lebron James's tweet and to show support for the General Manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey Nike pulled Houton Rockets merchandise out of its stores in China after Morey tweeted support for the protests Nike stores in China removed Rockets merchandise after Beijing criticized Morey, Pence noted. 'Nike promotes itself as a so-called social-justice champion, but when it comes to Hong Kong, it prefers checking its social conscience at the door,' he said.He said the NBA was acting like a 'wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime' for failing to stand up to the government's criticism of Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey.'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 other peoples,' the vice president said.Pence spoke at the Wilson Center in Washington, outlining the Trump administration's China policy amid talks on a new trade deal with the U.S. He criticized previous administrations for tolerating human rights abuses and unfair trade practices.'The political establishment was not only silent in the face of China's economic aggression and human rights abuses, but enabled them,' he said. The audience applauds a point made by Vice President Mike Pence as he makes a speech about the US-China relationship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at the Wilson Center's inaugural Frederic V. Malek
Mike Pence says NBA is acting like 'wholly owned subsidiary' of China
Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA in a speech Thursday criticizing China's record on trade and human rights, saying the communist nation is trampling on the 'rights and liberties' of protesters in Hong Kong.Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team's general manager angered the Chinese government with a tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong.Pence, who is often the face of the Trump's administration's tougher policies on China, said the NBA and Nike had failed to defend Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey after he tweeted support of Hong Kong protesters earlier this month.'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 other peoples,' he said.By 'siding with the Chinese Communist Party and silencing free speech, the NBA is acting like a wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime,' Pence added.President Donald Trump himself, however, at one point this fall promised Chinese president Xi Jinping that he would remain silent about the Hong Kong protests so the contrroversy wouldn't overshadow trade negotiations. Vice President Mike Pence slammed the National Basketball Association and Nike as he discussed U.S.-China relations on Thursday at the Wilson Center's inaugural Frederic V. Malek Public Service Leadership Lecture, in Washington Hundreds of protesters gathered to express their anger about Lebron James's tweet and to show support for the General Manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey Nike pulled Houton Rockets merchandise out of its stores in China after Morey tweeted support for the protests Nike stores in China removed Rockets merchandise after Beijing criticized Morey, Pence noted. 'Nike promotes itself as a so-called social-justice champion, but when it comes to Hong Kong, it prefers checking its social conscience at the door,' he said.He said the NBA was acting like a 'wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime' for failing to stand up to the government's criticism of Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey.'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 other peoples,' the vice president said.Pence spoke at the Wilson Center in Washington, outlining the Trump administration's China policy amid talks on a new trade deal with the U.S. He criticized previous administrations for tolerating human rights abuses and unfair trade practices.'The political establishment was not only silent in the face of China's economic aggression and human rights abuses, but enabled them,' he said. The audience applauds a point made by Vice President Mike Pence as he makes a speech about the US-China relationship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at the Wilson Center's inaugural Frederic V. Malek
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