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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 25 OctOber 2019

Pence takes swipe at NBA, Nike in critical speech on China

By DEB RIECHMANN nese government with a a speech laying out the
Associated Press tweet supporting anti-gov- Trump administration's ap-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice ernment protesters in Hong proach to China.
President Mike Pence Kong. The speech was deliv-
took a swipe at Nike and The NBA was acting like a ered as President Donald
the NBA on Thursday in a "wholly owned subsidiary" Trump seeks to close a new
speech criticizing commu- of China's "authoritarian re- trade deal with China, with
nist China's record on trade gime" for failing to stand up Pence cast in a hard-line
and human rights, saying to the government's criti- role. He criticized past ad-
American corporations cism of Rockets General ministrations for tolerating
have been too willing to Manager Daryl Morey, he unfair economic and trade
ignore censorship and re- said. practices and repressing
pression in pursuit of profits. "Nike promotes itself as a Chinese citizens.
Pence singled out the shoe so-called 'social-justice Trump has done business in
company for removing champion,' but when it several countries with poor
Houston Rockets merchan- comes to Hong Kong, it human rights records. He Vice President Mike Pence discusses U.S. and China relations
dise from stores in China prefers checking its social received as much as $1 mil- Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at the Wilson Center's inaugural Frederic
after the team's general conscience at the door," lion last year for soaring twin V. Malek Public Service Leadership Lecture, in Washington.
manager angered the Chi- the vice president said in towers bearing his name in Associated Press
Turkey, where the president a tentative cease-fire in
has imprisoned more than their trade dispute. The
150 journalists since a failed Trump administration
coup three years ago. And agreed to suspend plans
before he ended the ven- to raise tariffs on $250 bil-
ture three years ago, Trump lion in Chinese imports from
earned millions for licensing 25% to 30% on Oct. 15, and
his name for a building in China agreed to buy more
Azerbaijan, whose govern- U.S. farm products.
ment has imprisoned doz- Negotiators are still working
ens of critics, journalists and out details of the modest
activists, according to Hu- "phase one" deal in time
man Rights Watch. for Trump and his Chinese
Trump has planted the counterpart, Xi Jinping, to
seeds for possible future sign it at an Asia-Pacific
business in China, too. summit next month in San-
Since he took over as tiago, Chile. But the big is-
president, Trump and his sues dividing the world's
daughter Ivanka have won two biggest economies
dozens of trademarks from — most involving China's
the Chinese government aggressive push to chal-
for exclusive use of various lenge U.S. technological
names for restaurants, bars, dominance — remain un-
hotels, clothing and shoes, resolved.
and other products and Pence said the FBI has
services in the country. 1,000 active investigations
Trump's administration has into intellectual property
also escalated pressure on theft, the majority involv-
Chinese trade, foreign and ing China. In March, Tesla
economic policies, includ- sued a former engineer ac-
ing a tit-for-tat exchange cused of stealing 300,000
of trade tariffs on billions of files related to an autopilot
products. system before bolting for a
On Oct. 11, the United job at a Chinese self-driving
States and China reached car company, he said.q