"We are very pleased to welcome Yili to the Yankees family as our first sponsor based in China. The Yankees have always been committed to international baseball and international business and China is very important to us. This agreement with Yili is yet another example of how far-reaching the Yankees brand has become and how dedicated we are to growing baseball, and the business of baseball, in China."Yili Products will receive advertising exposure at Yankee Stadium and in the team program in the deal. The Yankees will receive piles of sweet cash in return for partnering with one of the official sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a connection which brings in the genocide connection via Darfur.
Darfur: Brought to you in part by the People's Republic of China?
China's already feeling pressure over its support of Sudan's government, the same government responsible for mass killings of non-Arab Muslims in the Sudanese state of Darfur. Human rights activists have called for a boycott of the games in Beijing since China is the single largest investor in oil-rich Sudan and has actively lobbied against international sanctions for Sudan's actions in Darfur, claiming it would not interfere in the "internal affairs" of another country, even an economic partner openly committing atrocities against its own population.
The Yili Group, to be fair, has a good corporate reputation: by Chinese standards they treat their workers well, and aren't having Sudanese merchants slaughtered to make way for their line of snack crackers. Yet it's an example of the kind of issues the Beijing games will raise as corporations pour money into an event sponsored by a country that still practices forced labor, restricts speech by its citizens, and still has a gulag system for political prisoners.
The Yankees just agreed to do business with a company based in China, which makes them at the smallest of margins, an accomplice in Darfur. Then again, so is every American consumer who buys cheap lightbulbs at Target, or anything else made in China, for that matter.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-26-2007 @ 1:32PM
Razr said...
way to reach for that one.
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6-26-2007 @ 2:07PM
KV said...
Excellent. You said it all. What is happening in China right now is truly frightening. Their hardline government, absolute and utter disregard for the environment - the pollution in that country is some of the worst in the world - not to mention the mild Chinese reaction to their food exports to the U.S. not being safe! It's not good...
Yes, it will come down to the U.S. and what few allies we have left to call on China to quit supporting the Sudanese. Which, of course, will lead the Chinese to hate us even more and ramp up their real, live WMDs.
Thanks for the article, Orson, and for keeping us up to date on a very serious global situation.
Reply
6-26-2007 @ 6:35PM
ACSports said...
Every team that takes money from the Yanks through profit sharing is supporting genocide! They should give all the money back!
Reply
6-27-2007 @ 2:52AM
Jeff Ruffolo said...
I live in Beijing and work for the Chinese Olympic Committee and you and the comments posted are so amazingly ignorant.
Like most of the world's media - you have NO CLUE about what is going on here in China.
The U.S. media continually babbles on about human rights this and that and you don't see what is happening here. Capitalism has exploded everywhere and the entire Chinese society is changing - evolving - albeit significantly slower that the US media wants it to, which has the patience of a gnat.
There are more than 400 Million Chinese teenagers who suck down pizza at Pizza Hut, gurgle Pepsi and jam down to the Stones or Billy Joel every night.
China is becoming a country ruled more by law than by whim and - God help us - is producing lawyers hand over fist.
Let's not forget the immortal words from Full Metal Jacket - "inside every gook is an American - trying to get out".
You personally may not like the Chinese Government - but the people here like it and for 1.2 Billion people, it works. Not perfect but then again, the Chinese don't eat their young like we do.
Anyone seen Hardball recently? The verbal blood is everywhere. Even if they could, the Chinese people would never rip each other or their leaders to shreds every night on TV.
I have a new idea.
Since we Americans invade countries for no reason, overthrow governments we don't like and kill people better than everyone else, maybe the world should take your advice and instead boycott the NBA and - HORRORS - MLB.
Gee Orson - you might out of a job.
Why don't you fly out here to China and tell the Chinese how rotten they are.
Better yet - talk to my Golden Retriever.
She'll listen!
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6-27-2007 @ 9:27AM
Sam said...
Ahh yes, I so fondly remember those wild nights as a teenager. I used to love sucking on pizzas and jamming down to Billy Joel. No sir, we did not start the fire.
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6-27-2007 @ 10:54AM
YankeeFan said...
Once again, Darfur has become a conflict of interest. It's easy for Americans to vilify the Chinese because we do not profit as much from the slaughters, killings, rapes, etc.
I agree somewhat with Jeff's comment. But the Darfur situation is more than envading Iraq or some foreign municipality, at least those people had the resources to fight back (or at least try). The Darfurians are defenseless. They do not carry guns or weapons. Hell, they have trouble finding clean water and firewood to drink.
The whole world knows the Darfur situation is wrong, but that's not the sad part. If we allow the situation to persist, Genocide could happen to you or me.
Reply
6-28-2007 @ 4:42PM
PeterPumpkinhead said...
Like I needed another reason to hate the Yankees.
I'm convinced the Chinese government has a longstanding plan to take over the US. Once every single Christmas related item is made in China (I think we're maybe 2-3 yrs away), they will shut down all plants making Christmas items. The US will be thrown into complete chaos, allowing the Chinese to easily walk in and take over.
It's coming. Mark my words.
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