China’s fierce reaction to Daryl Morey's tweet is certain to induce more self-censorship by executives in the future
must not have been fully briefed on the most-followed but least-discussed rule of doing business in China: do not say anything that might reflect negatively on the Communist Party. On the morning of October 5th in Tokyo, Mr Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, a National Basketball Association team heretofore loved by millions of Chinese fans, ignited a furore in China by tweeting a seven-word message in support of protesters in Hong Kong: “Fight for freedom”, he wrote.
Chinese nationalists circulated the image from Twitter on Chinese social media, and angrily asserted that Mr Morey was challenging China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong. China’s consulate in Houston issued a statement that China was “deeply shocked” and urged the Rockets to “correct the error”. The Chinese Basketball Association—chaired by Yao Ming, China’s greatest player and a former Rocket —declared its “strong opposition” to Mr Morey’s tweet and said it would stop working with the Rockets.
Self-censoring to make money in China is a long-standing business practice. The most obvious example is Hollywood, where studios steer clear of any topics in their films that would upset Chinese authorities, so that they can maintain access to the world’s second-largest market. But virtually all foreign businesses operating in China have long self-censored in a more subtle, pernicious way, by never speaking publicly about any issue the Communist Party deems off-limits.
The Morey episode shows it is getting trickier for businesses to navigate between expectations in America, where outcry is growing over China’s authoritarian tactics, and the ever-tougher demands of China under Xi Jinping. Adam Silver, thes spineless initial response, clarified his support for free speech, saying “thewill not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say.
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