Foreign firms are welcome to invest in China but they should adhere to Chinese laws and respect Chinese people’s sentiments, especially involving “the riots in Hong Kong”, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, as reported by the Global Times. The Ministry made the remarks in response to Apple removing HKmap.live app, tracking Hong Kong’s police movements. Spokesperson Geng Shuang said that “anyone with a good conscience and a sense of justice should oppose such criminal activities instead of supporting and condoning them”. Apple said the app violated its guidelines and local laws and therefore was removed from the App store. The removal came a day after the People’s Daily asked whether Apple is “helping Hong Kong rioters engage in more violence”.

Chinese netizens applauded Apple’s decision, saying Apple is “finally doing the right thing”, as the company also used the term “criminals” to describe the protesters. The Global Times quoted analysts saying that “multinational corporations will risk losing the Chinese market if they meddle in the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It added that analysts gave Apple the benefit of the doubt, saying that it is ”unlikely that Apple deliberately supported Hong Kong rioters and that the app might have been approved by the Apple App Store following technical loopholes in its review process”. Independent analyst Liu Dingding said that Apple “values the Chinese market, and removing the controversial app is a smart move”.

Meanwhile, a row erupted between Chinese fans and the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) after Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for protesters in Hong Kong. CCTV subsequently decided not to broadcast any NBA games and several Chinese companies suspended cooperation with the NBA. China’s Foreign Ministry urged foreign organizations which intend to operate smoothly in China to better understand Chinese sentiments.

The NBA Twitter controversy dominated U.S. social media and talks shows even more than the trade war as the U.S. public doesn’t know what an “entity list” is, but is very familiar with basketball and the Houston Rockets. On the one hand the NBA faced virulent criticism from Chinese fans and partners, on the other hand it said it defended the Western values of freedom of expression. Meanwhile, it faced losing its business in China. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the organization would have to live with the consequences of its exercise of freedom of speech. U.S. President Donald Trump criticized those who apologized to China. The incident has wider significance than just being a dispute between the NBA and the Chinese government and consumers. Companies doing business in China will also need to carefully watch their public pronouncements or risk losing business in China. On the other hand, if they are careful not to antagonize China, they may lose their reputation at home. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the reputational costs of pandering to Beijing would become higher and higher.

Beijing said that it will, as always, welcome foreign businesses, including companies from the United States, to invest and operate in China, reaffirming its commitment to protect their legitimate rights and interests. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang made the remark after Washington criticized what it called China’s manipulation of U.S. companies, alleging they were forced to abandon their values. Geng said 97% of U.S. companies in China reported profits the U.S.-China Business Council annual member survey, completed in June. “If we believe some U.S. people’s claims, are these American companies forced to give up their own values and have they all been manipulated by China?” Geng asked. The Global Times newspaper advized foreign brands to stay away from politics if they want to do business in China.