In a recently resurfaced interview with Megyn Kelly, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, stated that he was “okay doing business with China” despite the country’s human rights violations against Muslim Uyghurs.
Kelly, who shared the interview on her official Twitter account, questioned the billionaire on how he justifies doing business with a country accused of various human rights violations, including ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority, torture, forced labor, coercive population controls, forced abortions, and forced sterilizations.
“I personally put a priority on domestic issues,” Cuban said on The Megyn Kelly Show. “When it comes to human rights, I’m against all human rights violations around the world. China is not the only country with human rights violations.”
When asked why he would not be specific about condemning China, Cuban responded, “Because the way proclamations work in this country, the minute you say, you’re going to use this as a headline.”
“What’s wrong with that headline?” Kelly responded, adding the theoretical headline, “Cuban condemns ethnic cleansing in China.”
“Then I have to deal with the troll bots,” Cuban said. “What’s more important is to ask what actions I think are important to deal with these issues.”
She also questioned why the NBA accepted over $500 million from a country involved in ethnic cleansing.
“They are a customer. They are a customer of ours, and guess what, Megyn? I’m ok with doing business with China,” Cuban said. “I wish I could solve all of the world’s problems, Megyn, and I’m sure you do, too. But we can’t. So, we have to pick our battles.”
The NBA previously faced backlash for labelling comments in support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as “regrettable.”
Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted in support of Hong Kong, stating, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
In response, the Chinese Communist Party removed Rockets merchandise from stores, pulled some games from state television, and several Chinese corporations ended their league sponsorships. The NBA later condemned Morey’s tweet, seemingly to mitigate economic losses.
