More Businesses Will Stand Up to China After the Peng Shuai Outcry
It’s getting harder for executives to balance supporting social causes with reaping the riches of the Chinese market.
Peng Shuai of China serves to Hibino Nao of Japan during their women's singles first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on Jan. 21, 2020.
Photographer: Bai Xue/Xinhua/Getty Images
Rule No. 1 of doing business in China: Don’t tick off the government. Its bureaucrats hold the power of life and death over a business. Why risk forfeiting the riches of its vast market? Most of all, avoid anything of political sensitivity.
Apparently, Steve Simon didn’t get the memo. In recent days, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Women’s Tennis Association has waged a relentless campaign to protect one of its stars that has highlighted the iniquities of the communist regime, sparked global outrage, and left Chinese authorities stumbling and scrambling to find a way out.