Vice President Micheal Pence poses for his official portrait at The White House, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA on Thursday in a speech criticizing communist China's record on trade and human rights, saying American corporations have been too willing to ignore censorship and repression in pursuit of profits.
Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team's general manager angered the Chinese government with a tweet supporting anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.
The NBA was acting like a "wholly owned subsidiary" of China's "authoritarian regime" for failing to stand up to the government's criticism of Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, he said.
"Nike promotes itself as a so-called 'social-justice champion,' but whe
