China Lashes Out at Houston Rockets Over GM’s Hong Kong Tweet
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey kicked off a firestorm over the weekend after he tweeted out support for the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, writing, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before China took note. On Sunday, the Rockets’ Chinese sponsors, sportswear brand Li-Ning and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD Bank) Credit Card Center, announced that they were suspending their support of the team. China’s basketball association also said it will stop cooperating with the Texas team.
Soon after, the Chinese government got involved. “We are deeply shocked by the erroneous comments on Hong Kong made by Mr. Daryl Morey,” the Chinese consulate in Houston wrote in a statement on Sunday. “We have lodged representations and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Houston Rockets, and urged the latter to correct the error and take immediate concrete measures to eliminate the adverse impact.”
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