14 Times American Companies Self-Censored Or Apologized To Appease Communist China

[mountaineer]

14 Times American Companies Self-Censored Or Apologized To Appease Communist China
Out of fear of financial backlash, U.S. businesses are quick to issue groveling apologies and fold to the demands of both Chinese consumers and the Chinese authorities.
By Madeline Osburn
October 10, 2019

The recent controversy about China’s public censure of the NBA has opened American eyes to the longtime practice of many U.S. companies bending over backwards to appease the Chinese government, lest they face the financial cost of losing business in overseas markets.

When the NBA apologized on Monday for the Houston Rockets’ general manager’s pro-Hong Kong tweet, and China retaliated by prohibiting broadcasts of NBA preseason games played in the country, Americans on the left and the right were united in anger that a U.S. institution would abandon principles so quickly for the sake of their wallet. But in reality, American brands and institutions have been self-censoring and groveling in apologies to China for similar offenses for years. ... 

[snip - many instances cited]

14. Mercedes-Benz Apologized For Quoting the Dalai Llama

Last year, Mercedes-Benz apologized for a benign Instagram post that featured a white car and a quote from the Dalai Llama. The car company faced backlash from Chinese Internet users who called the peace figure a “wolf in monk’s robes” who is seeking Tibetan independence through “spiritual terrorism.”  ...

Full story at The Federalist

[mountaineer]

Apple pulls police-tracking app used by Hong Kong protesters
By  David Crawshaw
Oct. 10, 2019 at 6:33 a.m. EDT

HONG KONG — Apple removed a mapping app that allowed users to track the whereabouts of police in protest-racked Hong Kong after Chinese state media accused the U.S. tech giant of enabling unrest in the city by permitting downloads of the “poisonous” app.

In a statement late Wednesday, Apple said it took down HKmap.live because it had learned from Hong Kong authorities that the app had been used to “target and ambush police” and threaten public safety, adding that the program violated its rules.  ...  More at WashPost

[Neverdul]

South Park' fires F-bomb in response to China ban

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/south-park-drops-f-bomb-in-response-to-china-ban

After reports surfaced that the Comedy Central series had been scrubbed from Chinese internet and social media sites in response to their latest episode, Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a statement that reads,

"Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn't look just like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn's sorghum harvest be bountiful! We good now China?"

[mountaineer]

Says the would-be dictator:

Xi Jinping ‘no dictator’, American businessman Michael Bloomberg says
    US billionaire says it will take time to solve problems like air pollution but China is taking action
Wendy Wu
Published: 5:30pm, 30 Sep, 2019

US billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spoken out in support of Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying Xi is “not a dictator” and the Communist Party “listens to the public” on issues like air pollution.

Bloomberg made the comments in an interview on the weekend with Margaret Hoover, host of PBS’ Firing Line public affairs show, ahead of November’s Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Beijing, an event designed to rival the World Economic Forum in Davos.

When asked whether China could be a good partner in the fight against climate change, Bloomberg said “China is doing a lot”. ...

The Communist Party wants to stay in power in China and they listen to the public,” he said. “When the public says ‘I can’t breathe the air’, Xi Jinping is not a dictator. He has to satisfy his constituents, or he’s not going to survive …  "

More at South China Morning Post