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US, China Experience Negative Repercussions of NBA Controversy

Elizabeth Lee

   LOS ANGELES - This week China again demonstrated the pitfalls for
   American companies trying to do business there, when an NBA general
   manager's tweet in support of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters
   became an international news story and sparked a backlash in China.

   Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets posted a tweet in
   support of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, before later deleting
   it and apologizing as it became clear how upset main NBA fans in
   mainland China were over his tweet.

   "If the NBA wants a piece of the Chinese market, then it needs to
   understand China's culture and understand our country's bottom line,"
   18-year-old Li Xintong told Reuters while waiting for the arrival of
   the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets in Shanghai for an exhibition
   game on October 10.

   The response in China to Morey's tweet included removing NBA logos, and
   Chinese sponsors suspending their relationship with the NBA.

   China's massive economic market has long forced western companies to
   tread carefully when it comes to politically sensitive topics. But
   China scholars said the timing of the NBA social media post supporting
   Hong Kong during a sensitive time in China motivated its tough
   response.

   "With the 70th anniversary (of China) it's more sensitive. I think with
   the tensions between China and the United States, it's a lot more
   sensitive. With the protests in Hong Kong, it's a lot more sensitive.
   Most of the time this would not have been a major issue, but the world
   is looking at these things differently, and China's looking at it
   differently," said Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Center for
   Regional Economics at the Milken Institute.

   The Rockets' general manager apologized on social media saying '¦ "I
   did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and
   friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on
   one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of
   opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives."

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