It's not just the NBA.
China's state media on Wednesday reportedly accused Apple, which has a huge presence in the country, of supporting pro-democracy, anti-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong, warning the tech giant that it could face consequences for its "unwise and reckless" decision to approve a transport app that allegedly helped protesters identify police in the city, Hong Kong Free Press reports.
"Nobody wants to drag Apple into the lingering unrest in Hong Kong," an editorial in the People's Daily read. "But people have reason to assume that Apple is mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts."
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The warning echoes Beijing's reaction to a now-deleted pro-Hong Kong tweet from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, which vaulted the NBA into a state of fear about losing the massive revenue it collects from its Chinese fan base.
Of course, none of this is new — multinational corporations have struggled with trying to support things like freedom of speech while simultaneously appeasing Beijing for quite some time. For example, last year, Marriott reportedly fired an employee for liking a Twitter post from a group that supports Tibetan independence. Tim O'Donnell
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