News Mash-up: China

Human rights groups urge broadcasters to not cover Beijing Winter Olympics Human rights groups have asked television broadcasters to not cover next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Winter Games are set to open on Feb. 4. The human rights groups — representing minorities in China including Uyghurs, Tibetans and Hong Kong residents — signed an open letter. It was sent on Sept. 7 to broadcasters around the world, including NBC. The U.S. company is paying $7.75 billion (¥852 billion) for the rights to the next six Olympics. Those payments account for an estimated 40% of the total income of the International Olympic Committee. “All of your companies are at serious risk of being complicit in China’s plan to ‘sport wash’ the severe and worsening human rights abuses and embolden the actions of the Chinese authorities,” the open letter reads. The IOC says it is only a sports body.  (AP) Huawei exec returns home as Canadians freed Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrived in China after a nearly three-year U.S. extradition fight on Sept. 25, the same day two Canadians detained by Beijing for over 1,000 days returned home. Meng, the daughter of Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei, was allowed to go home after reaching an agreement with U.S. prosecutors Sept. 24 to end a bank fraud case against her. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were embraced on the tarmac by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after they landed in Calgary. (Reuters) These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.