All These Major American Companies With Hong Kong Footprints Weighed In On George Floyd’s Death. They Have Nothing To Say About China’s Hong Kong Takeover
Dozens of major American companies that have operations in Hong Kong have stayed silent on China’s new security law in the city, despite those same companies issuing statements in support of Black Lives Matter or social justice following the death of George Floyd.
The American Chamber of Commerce reported in early July that 76% of its members with operations in Hong Kong were “extremely concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the security law.
The security law was approved in secret in late June and criminalizes what it defines as secessionist and subversive activities in the city. Critics say the law is designed to crack down on dissent of the Chinese Communist Party.
Major American companies were quick to issue statements in support of Black Lives Matter or social justice causes in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, but dozens of those same firms that have operations in Hong Kong have yet to weigh in on the Chinese Communist Party’s de facto takeover of the city.
Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Marriott, McDonalds, Nike and Scholastic are among the dozens of major American companies with footholds in Hong Kong that weighed in after Floyd’s death but have yet to weigh in on the new security law Beijing recently imposed on the city, which impacts its employees working in the city and which critics say is designed to crack down on dissent of the ruling Communist Party.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to 31 major American companies listed in the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Hong Kong membership directory that haven’t issued public statements on the security law while issuing statements attesting to their commitment to social justice and racial equality in America, asking if they had any comment on the law.
One company — American Express — appears to have removed a statement from its website announcing it would be donating $1 million to the National Urban League and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund after the DCNF reached out for comment Tuesday morning. American Express did not respond when asked why the statement was removed from its website or whether it was still planning to donate the funds to the organizations.
The People’s Bank of China granted approval to American Express on June 13 to process Chinese currency, making it the first foreign payments network to receive such approval in the country.
“This approval represents an important step forward in our long-term growth strategy,” American Express CEO Stephen Squeri said in a statement, Bloomberg News reported.
Dell Technologies was the only company that responded to the DCNF, saying in a statement through a spokesperson: “The implications of China’s National Security Law are still evolving. We are evaluating what the possible impact could be to our team members and operations in Hong Kong.”
HP, whose CEO, Enrique Lores, quoted Martin Luther King saying, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” in a statement in late May following Floyd’s death, did not respond to the DCNF. Nor did Walmart, whose CEO Doug McMillon said in June that the company’s goal was to “help replace the structures of systemic racism, and build in their place frameworks of equity and justice that solidify our commitment to the belief that, without question, Black Lives Matter.”
https://dailycaller.com/2020/07/16/american-companies-geroge-floyd-hong-kong-security-law/