Chinese organisers cancel fan event amid free speech row
HONG KONG: China yesterday slammed NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s defence of free speech, cancelling a basketball fan event and lashing him in the state-run press, as Apple was warned it could be the next Western firm punished for supporting democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
The NBA had been hoping to boost its popularity in the lucrative China market this week with a pair of preseason exhibition games, but those plans were thrown into disarray by a tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey backing the prodemocracy movement in Hong Kong.
Silver and the NBA initially responded to Friday’s tweet with statements that American politicians branded as caving into China.
But Silver, in Japan for another preseason exhibition event, then provoked China’s ire on Tuesday when he said the NBA supported freedom of expression.
“Silver’s about face, which will definitely give a shot to the arms of the rioters in Hong Kong, shows his organisation is willing to be another handy tool for US interference in the special administrative region,” the state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial.
An editorial in the nationalistic Global Times said there was now “little room for reconciliation” as the issue had escalated into a clash of values between China and the US.
The NBA has built a lucrative Chinese fanbase in recent years thanks in part to the popularity of former Rockets centre Yao Ming.
But after Morey’s tweet, state broadcaster CCTV and Chinese internet company Tencent both suspended broadcasts of Rockets games and two preseason NBA games in China.
The Chinese Basketball Association, which Yao now heads, also cut ties with the Rockets.
The fallout deepened as a “fan night” due to take place in Shanghai yesterday was cancelled, a day ahead of the scheduled pre-season game between the LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Shanghai Sports Federation cited Morey’s “inappropriate statement” and Silver’s “inappropriate position” for the cancellation.
Speculation has grown in the US that the games themselves — another is to be held in the southern city of Shenzhen on Saturday — could be cancelled.
Crews at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz arena, where the Nets and Lakers were to play, were seen yesterday removing the logos of the NBA, Nets, Lakers, and corporate sponsors from lamp-posts and walls in the area.
Chinese state media has repeatedly warned foreign firms against speaking
out or taking any actions to support the protesters, warning it could cost them access to China’s market of 1.4 billion people.
Tech giant Apple, which has a huge presence in China, yesterday became the latest target.
An opinion piece in the People’s Daily slammed a transport app available on Apple’s store that it alleged helped protesters identify police in Hong Kong.
“Apple’s approval for the app obviously helps rioters,” the article said. “Does this mean Apple intended to be an accomplice to the rioters?”
The article then cautioned that: “The map app is just the tip of the iceberg”, alleging a song supporting Hong Kong independence had also appeared on its music store.
“Nobody wants to drag Apple into the lingering unrest in Hong Kong. But people have reason to assume that Apple is mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts,” it said.
“Apple has to think about the consequences of its unwise and reckless decision.”