Economic integration was supposed to bring democracy to China. Instead, it’s brought Chinese state censorship to corporate America. EricLevitz writes
Daryl Morey. Photo: Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images When Bill Clinton called for China’s admission into the WTO two decades ago, he argued that such economic integration wouldn’t merely bring American products to the Chinese market, but also American values to Chinese politics.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the end of history: To this point, the economic benefits of globalization have done less to undermine China’s authoritarian government than to legitimize it. In so doing, he cost his team the sponsorship of both the Li-Ning shoe company and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Card Center. The Chinese Basketball Association — a federation led by former Rockets center Yao Ming — suspended its cooperation with the Houston franchise. The Rockets owner disavowed Morey’s outrageous views on the propriety of civil-rights protests. Conversations about firing Morey commenced.
For American NBA fans, this was all a bit jarring. After all, the league is famous for its relatively high tolerance of politically controversial speech. The NBA has allowed one of its most beloved coaches to call the president of the United States a “soulless coward” and its premier player to speak out against racist policing.
In this respect, the NBA is hardly exceptional. As Max Read notes, in recent years, American and European companies have made a regular habit of apologizing for their accidental contradictions of the Communist Party line. Last year, Marriott fired a social-media manager for liking a post complimenting the hotel chain for its endorsement of Tibetan independence. Around the same time, Mercedes-Benz issued an apology for quoting the Dalai Lama on Instagram.
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