The US State Department estimates as many as two million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been detained in internment camps in Xinjiang province since 2017, although China has repeatedly denied accusations of human rights abuses.
“I want to say thank you to Mr. Yao Ming … I actually do want to go to China and see everything with my own eyes,” Freedom told CNN’s John Berman on New Day. “But on this trip, I want to ask Mr. Yao Ming, will I be able to visit labor camps?”
He added: “I don’t need a lecture through China, I don’t want propaganda. I want to actually get to see the real China and show the whole world what’s going on. So, yes, I actually do accept his offer.”
The 29-year-old’s comments have prompted a backlash in the Asian nation, with Celtics games being pulled by Chinese video streaming site Tencent and the government criticizing Freedom’s comments.
“I want everyone to know that China’s Communist Party does not represent the Olympic core of excellence, of friendship, of respect,” he continued. “They are a brutal dictatorship. They threaten freedoms and they do not respect human rights.”
The Warriors said in a statement that Palihapitiya “has no day-to-day operating functions” with the team and that “his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization.”
For his own part, Freedom called Palihapitiya’s comments “unbelievable,” adding: “It was pathetic, it was disgusting, and I was very ashamed for him for sure.”
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