Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA in a speech criticizing China�s record on trade and human rights.

Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team�s general manager angered the Chinese government with a tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong.

He said the NBA was acting like a �wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime� for failing to stand up to the government�s criticism of Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey.

Pence spoke Thursday at the Wilson Center in Washington as the Trump administration and the Chinese government try to negotiate a trade deal.

He sounded an alarm about China�s influence campaigns and its crackdown on free speech and other rights in Hong Kong.

(AP)