Daryl Morey, general manager of the American basketball team the Houston Rockets, has been bombarded with criticism from Chinese fans after he sent a tweet in support of the mobs and chaos in Hong Kong. Morey posted an image reading “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” on Saturday, while Tilman Fertitta, owner of Houston Rockets, swiftly distanced his team from Morey’s inappropriate remarks. Be that as it may, Morey should have known his position and influence as the team’s general manager better.

Chinese basketball fans have taken to social media to express their discontent over Morey’s tweet, calling for the general manager’s resignation. In recent years, the Rockets have been gaining popularity and profit in China, with Morey being one of the biggest beneficiaries. Running with the hare and hunting with the hounds, Morey’s remarks have surely infuriated the Chinese fans.

There are plenty of people who share Morey’s double-faced attitudes towards China in the United States. Not long ago, when I went to an NBA show, I was warmly welcomed by the manager. Though he was full of praise for the enormous potential of the Chinese market, he had little interest in the needs of Chinese. I would not be surprised if he made similar remarks regarding Hong Kong as Morey did.

There are three reasons why Morey and his type hold biased opinions on Hong Kong’s current situation.

There are some misleading accusations circulating in some Western media that have played a vital role. Ever since the beginning of the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Protests, the constant barrage of western reports has glorified the mobs attacking police as heroes, stigmatizing the law keepers as villains. Many pictures used by US media outlets have contradicted the facts. For instance, the brutal and violent attacks on police officers have been largely neglected, while their legal self-defense has been grossly exaggerated. It is hard to find images of mobs chasing and harming the police, though a mob’s “kneeling-down-before-the-police” performance has been rendered excessively by western media outlets. Such selective reports would surely misguide the public.

Bias and prejudice against China have provided a hotbed for such selective reports. For many Americans, the western methods are the best solution for state governance, while the Chinese system, totally different from its western counterparts, is deemed as a rebel against orthodoxy. Such biased reports can satisfy many readers, while those who impartially speak for China will be tagged as “pro-communism” types. In recent years, many American politicians, by fair means or foul, have made great effort to tarnish China’s image, forging the American society’s prejudice against China.

Western hypocrisy is also a contributing factor. Leaders in the sports, business as well as financial industries and more that side with Morey are all profit-driven. Though always talking about democracy and freedom, it is the financial benefits that they are really craving for. They would do anything to become rich, let it be lies, blackmails, or bullying. There are those American entrepreneurs who have earned a great fortune in China yet still stand with the US politicians in the trade war against China, they are good examples.

Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China. The Chinese blockbuster, My people, My country, has moved countless Chinese audiences to tears because of the scene in the movie depicting the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Chinese people have gone through hard times, and we firmly believe that the time when China was humiliated by Western powers is long gone. Any attempt to challenge our strategy of One Country, Two Systems, or China’s national sovereignty, shall not be tolerated. Those like Morey should clearly understand that there is no way to enjoy the benefit from the Chinese market while challenging the country’s bottom line at the same time!