NBA Closes Training Facilities in Xinjiang, Should Motivate U.S. Corporations to Cut Communist China Ties

Contact Your Elected Officials

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. โ€“ย The NBA hasย respondedย to Senator Marsha Blackburnโ€™s (R-Tenn.) concerns about the leagueโ€™s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and, for the first time, announced the closure of its controversial training facilities in Xinjiang, one of the worldโ€™s worst humanitarian zones. According to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, the relationship with the Xinjiang basketball academy has been effectively terminated for over a year. Although Tatum provided a response on behalf of the league, Senator Blackburnโ€™s letter was directed to Commissioner Adam Silver, who took a more conciliatory and almost apologetic tone toward China last month. Instead, Silver counseled โ€œmutual respectโ€ with the CCP and notably stayed silent on the human rights concerns.

In a June 30 letter, Senator Blackburnย urgedย the NBA to recognize this pivotal moment in U.S.-China relations and reevaluate its business interests with the CCP, which the league seemed ready to take tentative steps toward terminating.

Senator Blackburn said of the response:
โ€œChina is responsible for some of the greatest human rights violations of our time. The NBAโ€™s decision to abandon its footprint in Xinjiang, where millions of Muslim Uyghurs have been brutally confined in โ€˜reeducation camps,โ€™ is the right way to condemn Chinese oppression and should motivate other American corporations to decry such atrocities. Making money and standing up for human rights should not be mutually exclusive.ย 

โ€œHowever, the NBAโ€™s partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba remains a cause for concern, especially as Alibaba affiliate AntPay prepares for an IPO this year on Shanghaiโ€™s STAR market. Chinese companies are notorious for stealing American intellectual property and technology, and these thefts have cost our businesses billions of dollars in economic losses. The NBAโ€™s continued financial relationship with Alibaba requires a closer look.

โ€œI appreciate the NBAโ€™s candor about the costs of confronting a censorship-obsessed Communist regime. As the Deputy Commissioner notes with much regret, Chinaโ€™s ban on the airing of NBA games has cost the league โ€˜hundreds of millionsโ€™ in lost revenueโ€”all this over an American employeeโ€™s tweet in support of Hong Kong democracy. The rest of the world needs to show Communist China that we will no longer tolerate its aggression. This conversation must continue so that real progress is made.โ€

In Senator Blackburnโ€™s letter, she wrote: โ€œWhile the NBA has worked hard to raise awareness of social issues at home, there is concern that the league has turned a blind eye to human rights abuses committed abroadโ€”evenย bowing downย to pressure last yearโ€ฆ This correspondence is a reminder of the threat that Communist China poses to democracy and freedom worldwide.โ€

Senator Blackburn named Chinaโ€™sย lack of transparencyย regarding the coronavirus,ย suppression of free speechย in Hong Kong, andย inhumane treatmentย andย forced laborย of the Uyghurs, as evidence of the CCPโ€™s atrocious actions.

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another โ€œ1-in-100 yearsโ€ weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated โ€œWeather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texasโ€.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted โ€œindependence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

โ€œThe Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Death Toll From Texas Floods Rises to 82, Including 28 Children; Trump Plans Visit

Days after catastrophic flash floods in central Texas, rescuers are still searching for potential survivors, including 27 girls who went missing from camp.

Trump Signs Major Disaster Declaration Over Texas Flooding

President Trump signed major disaster declaration for Kerr County, TX, following floods leaving dozens dead and FEMA has been activated to respond.

Storm Chantal Makes Landfall in Carolinas, Weakens to Tropical Depression

Chantal weakened into a tropical depression, and tropical storm warnings previously issued for parts of North and South Carolina were discontinued.

IBA President Says Imane Khelif Should Return Olympic Gold Medal

IBA president urged Algerian boxer Imane Khelif to return tgold medal won at 2024 Paris Olympics to the rightful winner, amid gender-eligibility row.

Trump Announces 25 Percent Tariff on Japan, South Korea

President Donald Trump on July 7 issued letters announcing 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, set to take effect on Aug. 1, 2025.

White House Asks Americans to Pray After Deadly Texas Flooding

White Houseโ€™s Faith Office said in a statement that it is asking people โ€œto join us in prayer for the precious lives lost in the Texas floods,โ€

Trump to Meet With Netanyahu Following Iran Strikes Amid Cease-Fire Talks

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on the evening of July 7, 2025.

Trump Threatens BRICS-Aligned Nations With 10 Percent Tariff

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that an additional 10 percent tariff will be imposed on countries aligning with BRICS policies.
spot_img

Related Articles