Pitch@Palace criticised over links to firm on US blacklist
‘It’s outrageous the leaders of Pitch@Palace thought it acceptable to involve this firm in a royal initiative’
PRINCE ANDREW’S Pitch@Palace venture has come under fire for its partnership with a Chinese firm blacklisted for human rights abuses.
The Chinese AI giant iFlyTek is one of the highest profile partners of Pitch@Palace – now called Pitch – with Liu Qingfeng, the firm’s chairman, sitting on its China committee.
But US government agencies and others claim technology developed by iFlyTek, such as its voice recognition equipment, is used to persecute China’s minority Muslim community.
Last month iFlyTek was barred from buying US-made technology after Washington linked it with Beijing’s alleged persecution of the Uighur Muslims and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities. Now critics have condemned the Duke of York’s support for the firm through its partnership with his venture for entrepreneurs, which matches investors with tech start-ups. Dr Alan Mendoza, a director of the Henry Jackson Society, said: “iFlytek’s products are being used by the Chinese government to persecute millions of Uighur Muslims. This has been enabled by one of the most advanced surveillance systems ever used.
“The US has responded by placing iFlyTek on a trade blacklist, restricting its access to American technology.
“It’s outrageous that the leaders of Pitch@Palace thought it acceptable to involve this company in a royal initiative, and damaging to Prince Andrew that he has been placed in such an indefensible position. The British Government’s protests on the Uighur issue risk being undermined if a firm so publicly outed as supplying the Xinjiang authorities is lent a Royal badge of approval.”
In 2017 the prince was photographed with iFlyTek executives at a meeting in London of the UK China Business Leaders Club, recognising Mr Qingfeng as a founding member. Showing the prince with Mr Qingfeng, it was posted online by iFlyTek with the words: “iFLYTEK will help China’s #entrepreneurs seek more opportunities at #pitchatpalace.”
iFlyTek products are used around the world, but human rights observers say its voice recognition software has been used to eavesdrop on Chinese Muslims. Responding to questions about the partnership with iFlyTek, a Palace spokesman said: “iFlyTek only support the project in China.”