The Trump administration’s resumed its assault on China Thursday by turning its attention to both Hollywood and the tech industry in the United States.
NPR reports that U.S. Attorney General William Barr is accusing China of waging an “economic blitzkrieg” to “make the world safe for dictatorship.”
He called out both Hollywood and the U.S. tech industry of “kowtowing” to the Chinese government so it can make profits.
“All too often, for the sake of short-term profits, American companies have succumbed to that influence — even at the expense of freedom and openness in the United States,” he said. “Sadly, examples of American business bowing to Beijing are legion.”
Barr made his remarks during a speech at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Library in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Deadline reports Barr took aim at Hollywood and its cozy relationship with the Chinese government.
“Hollywood now regularly censors its own movies to appease the Chinese Communist Party, the world’s most powerful violator of human rights. This censorship infects, not only the versions of movies that are released in China, but also many that are shown in the United States theaters to American audiences.”
He specifically called out Disney and Paramount, according to CNBC.
CNBC also reports Barr blasted Cisco for building “the Great Firewall of China,” to set up the “most sophisticated system for Internet surveillance and censorship.”
Cisco issued a statement to CNBC denying the allegations.
“The products we supply to China are the same we provide worldwide, and we comply fully with all export control rules applicable to China including those related to human rights.”
Barr also criticized Apple for moving some of its iCloud data to servers in China and making it easier for China to hack that data.
“Our products help our Chinese customers communicate, learn, express their creativity, and exercise their ingenuity,” Apple said in a statement. “We believe in the critical importance of an open society in which information flows freely, and are convinced the best way we can continue to promote openness is to remain engaged even where we may disagree with a country’s laws,” the statement continued.”
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