Wisconsin Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher wants congressional hearings with Apple CEO Tim Cook and NBA Silver Adam Silver on negotiations in China related to the forced labor of Uighur Muslims.
“Ultimately, if you’re not willing to have that conversation, I think we need to quote Apple CEOs, Hollywood executives, and the NBA just to get a better understanding for the American people about how China is harnessing its economic power. to coerce US citizens and craft certain narratives that are truly damaging around the world, “Rep. Gallagher said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Gallagher explained that he would initially be open to closed-door discussions with leaders such as Cook and Silver to answer questions about the pressure their organizations have felt from China. He added, however, that if they were not willing to have such discussions, Congress should cite them.
The ruling Communist Party of China is accused of mass arrests, forced labor and other abuses against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Mo., echoed Gallagher’s sentiments about Fox and his friends to investigate American companies that potentially profit from slave labor.
“Concentration camps, for example, help make the Nike uniforms that the NBA wears,” Hawley said. “They should be engaging right now: Nike, the NBA, and all of these American corporations, who will not use forced slave labor.”
Gallagher told Fox News that he views egregious human rights abuses as an opportunity for unity between Republicans and Democrats, adding that Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minn., Has been an influential voice in speaking out against the forced labor of Uighur Muslims. .
“I do not agree with Ilhan Omar very much, but he recently sent letters to more than 30 CEOs of major companies, including Tim Cook, asking them to re-examine their dependence on forced labor by Uighur Muslims,” Gallagher said. “We recently had a bill relating to the Uighurs that passed with an overwhelming majority in Congress, so I think we have a chance to really unite some strange bedfellows.”
On June 17, 2020, President Trump enacted the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act. He condemned the detention of more than 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other minorities in so-called re-education camps, where they are reportedly subject to political indoctrination, torture, beatings and food deprivation, as well as denial of religious freedom. and linguistics.
According to Reuters, a senior Trump administration official denounced Huawei and ZTE for their involvement in “modern concentration camps of more than 3 million Muslims.” Gallagher said the accusation was not surprising, but it served as further evidence of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s goal of global control.
“This is total ideological control,” said Gallagher. “A world where Huawei and ZTE dominate global telecommunications is a world where Xi Jinping and his Communist cadres can tell everyone what they can and cannot think about.”
The United States has pressured its allies to avoid Huawei because it says the Chinese government could use the company’s technology to spy on Western nations. Britain announced that it has blocked plans to give Chinese Huawei a role in the UK’s new high-speed mobile phone network.
Gallagher went a step further and said he does not believe that companies, such as the American microchip company Qualcomm, which supplies the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, You should be doing business with companies like Huawei and ZTE.
A perimeter fence was built around what is officially known as a vocational education center in Dabancheng, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, September 4, 2018. Dabancheng police detained two Reuters journalists for more than four hours after the photos were taken.
“I think the argument I always hear from companies like Qualcomm is that if we don’t do it, someone else will, or more importantly, the Chinese will either do it nationally or steal our technology,” Gallagher said. “For that, I say that is what they are going to do anyway, that is the essence of ‘Made in China’.”
The United States has led a global campaign to convince foreign governments to ban Huawei from its advanced telecommunications networks, arguing that allowing them to enter those systems would lead to violations of the privacy of its citizens. The United States has also threatened NATO and other allies with restrictions or suspensions on intelligence sharing and cooperation if they allow Huawei components or technology on their high-speed networks.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Emily DeCiccio is a reporter and video producer for Fox News Digital Originals. Tweet @EmilyDeCiccio.
