Washington (AFP)
US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday accused the North American Basketball League (NBA) of behaving as a "subsidiary" of the "authoritarian regime" in Beijing after a controversy related to a tweet on Hong Kong.
Hong Kong, former British colony returned to China in 1997 and now autonomous territory, has been shaken since June by increasingly violent protests, which include more civil liberties and autonomy.
"Some of the biggest players and franchise owners in the NBA, who exercise their right to criticize this country every day (the United States), lose their voices when it comes to the freedoms and rights of other peoples. ", said Mr. Pence in a speech in Washington.
"By standing on the side of the Chinese Communist Party and silencing freedom of expression, the NBA is behaving like a wholly owned subsidiary of an authoritarian regime," he added.
The US Vice President has also blatantly attacked Nike, a "champion of social justice," but who, when it comes to Hong Kong, "prefers to leave his conscience behind." at the door ".
For almost three weeks, a big diplomatic crisis continues between China and the NBA, born of a tweet of Daryl Morey, the general manager of Houston Rockets, in support of the protesters of Hong Kong.
At the beginning of the crisis, the NBA had said in a statement to be "deeply disappointed by the inappropriate remarks" of the leader of the Texas franchise. But the institution, criticized by US officials for these words seeming to be right in Beijing, then said she would not apologize and continue to support "freedom of expression."
Following the controversial tweet, Chinese companies suspended their sponsorship, as well as the broadcasting rights negotiations with the NBA, which was then in full Asian tour.
The Chinese public television CCTV did not air Wednesday (Tuesday night in America) the opening matches of the new basketball season in the United States. This is an unusual event in China, which has many fans of the NBA.
© 2019 AFP