Disney had no choice but to work with communist authorities in China to film in Xinjiang for its live-action remake of “Mulan” last year, a company executive has told the British government.
Disney received widespread criticism upon the release of “Mulan” this year after viewers noticed the company thanks Chinese Communist Party (CCP) groups involved in interning, sterilizing and imposing forced abortions on millions of Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region.
Disney reportedly argued the CCP requires companies to work with a Chinese production company whenever filming within its borders. Disney did not explain why it saw filming in China as necessary. (RELATED: US Joins Nearly 40 Countries To Criticize China For ’21st Century Holocaust’)
“There are regulations that must be followed by all foreign film production companies wanting to operate in China,” Sean Bailey, president of Disney’s film studio, said in an Oct. 7 letter to two British politicians, according to Bloomberg. “These companies are not allowed to operate independently and must partner with a Chinese production company which is responsible for securing all film permits.”
Disney defended its cooperation with government entities accused of human-rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, saying the company had to work with the government in order to make films there https://t.co/ngkBYwZJzq
— Businessweek (@BW) October 10, 2020
Disney’s release of “Mulan” in September came just more than a year after Disney CEO Bob Iger threatened to stop doing business in Georgia if lawmakers there passed certain pro-life legislation. Iger expressed no issues with working with the Chinese government, however, which is actively involved in imprisoning millions of Uighurs in reeducation and concentration camps in Xinjiang.
The CCP’s actions in the region, which include forced abortions and sterilization, have been described as “genocide.” (RELATED: Can Banning Tik Tok Help Save Trump In November?)
The U.S. Treasury Department in July announced sanctions against the CCP’s operations in the region, specifically naming the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary group which operates much of the economy of Xinjiang and orchestrates the persecution of minorities, according to Axios.
“As previously stated, the United States is committed to using the full breadth of its financial powers to hold human rights abusers accountable in Xinjiang and across the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement at the time.