A bipartisan group of lawmakers will travel to California this week to meet with tech and entertainment CEOs and discuss China policy. A delegation from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), is set to talk with Disney CEO Bob Iger, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others about the complicated relationship that U.S. corporations have with China.
Axios reports that “big tech companies and Hollywood stars are increasingly involved in tensions with the U.S. over IP and trade issues.” These lawmakers are eager to meet business leaders.
One aide to the committee told Axios they were there to hear from members about their views on various topics. It is important to think about offensive and out-compete.
Iger will host the meeting. To release films, they even submitted censorship requests.
Xinjiang was also criticized for Disney’s live-action film Mulan. This film was shot in the same area as China’s mistreatment of its ethnic Uyghur minorities.
Andrew Boardwine, Inside the Magic’s reporter, reports that tensions between the U.S. and China are increasing and Disney laid off more than 300 employees from its streaming business in China. It’s unclear how Disney could withdraw from China in the event of rising tensions.
Iger will be the only studio CEO who the delegation will meet with.
The delegation will meet with Cook on Friday. The Apple head honcho returned last week from his first trip to China since the COVID-19 pandemic, where he spoke at a conference sponsored by the Chinese government.
“I am thrilled to be back in China. It means the world to me, and I feel privileged to be here,” Cook said in a speech in which he touted Apple’s relationship with China. However, Axios also reports that Apple is considering taking at least some of its manufacturing out of China.
The congressional delegation doesn’t have any legislation in mind but is open to discussing policy points, “including how companies plan on reducing forced labor in supply chains. ”
The United States must decide how it will deal with China. This is a crucial decision point.
