Xinjiang, as you may recall, is the area where potentially millions of Uyghur Muslims are being held in concentration camps. The government says it is concerned about the human rights abuses taking place there and wants the NBA to take action with a boycott.
Now that Hong Kong has basically fallen to Beijing, Xinjiang has now become the focus in the government's political campaign against China. The crimes against humanity taking place in Xinjiang are admittedly horrific, but you know the government is up to no good when it pretends to care.
China Joe, a longtime ally of the communist regime, is now claiming that he wants to "punish" China for committing genocide in Xinjiang. One way he is doing this is by pushing the NBA players to end their partnerships with companies like ANTA, Li-Ning and Peak sportswear, all of which source cotton from Xinjiang.
The chairs of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China recently sent a letter to a dozen or so NBA players who have deals with these and other labels urging them to cut all ties.
According to reports, these companies mostly produce sneakers and athletic apparel that NBA players like All-Star Dwayne Wade heavily promote. Wade has a lifetime deal with Li-Ning, for example, while injured Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has a contract with ANTA.
"Peak, which previously had a deal with the New Jersey Nets before the team moved to Brooklyn in 2012, has several current NBA players, including backup Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard," Zero Hedge reports.
NBA players embracing "reputational risks" by partnering with Beijing
Because these NBA players are financially tied to the communist Chinese regime, many fear they are also beholden to pushing its propaganda in exchange for continued cash flow.
This creates "reputational risks" for players, warn Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), who are among those members of Congress calling on the NBA to sever its ties with Chinese companies that source cotton from Xinjiang.
"Players have continued to sign new deals with Anta Sports," reads a letter they wrote.
"We believe that commercial relationships with companies that source cotton in Xinjiang create reputational risks for NBA players and the NBA staff. The NBA and NBA players should not even implicitly be endorsing such horrific human rights abuses."
For many years now, the media has reported on the systematic forced labor camps that exist throughout Xinjiang, where mostly Uyghur Muslims are required to work long hours for little or no pay.
It is basically slave labor that not only Chinese corporations but also wealthy American athletes are benefitting from at the expense of people's lives.
"We urge the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) to work with its members to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide taking place in Xinjiang and the role of forced labor in the production of products made by brands that NBPA members have endorsed," the letter goes on to state.
"We hope that the result of such efforts would be that the players would leverage their contracts with Anta, Li-Ning, and Peak to push these companies to end their use of Xinjiang cotton. Short of that outcome, we encourage players to end their endorsement deals with these companies."
Back in September, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver tried to defend the NBA's longstanding financial ties to Chinese businesses that use slave labor, indicating that the arrangement has a "net positive" effect on the league, which is all that apparently matters.
More related news about communist China can be found at Tyranny.news.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.
