U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and a number of her colleagues are inquiring about the Walt Disney Company’s cooperation with the Chinese government during the production of the “Mulan” remake.
A letter from members of Congress including Cheney was sent to Disney CEO Bob Chapek on Friday about Disney’s work with security and propaganda authorities in Xinjiang, an autonomous region of China where part of the movie was filmed.
The letter asks Chapek to explain why Disney filmed parts of “Mulan” in the Xinjiang Uighar Autonomous Region and why members of the film crew were required to cooperate with local security and “propaganda” elements.
In the letter from bipartisan group of lawmakers, members of Congress tell Chapek that Disney’s actions “offers tacit legitimacy to these perpetrators of crimes that may warrant the designation of genocide.”
The letter also asks Chapek to explain whether Disney has a policy about cooperating with entities that are “known human rights abusers” and to detail regions in the U.S. or the world where Disney has refused to film or engage in production for other than economic reasons.
It has been documented that the Chinese Communist Party is keeping Uighur Muslims in concentration camps in the Xinjiang Uighar Autonomous Region.
Legislators who joined Cheney in signing the letter included U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, both R-Florida, and U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey.
“Mulan” was released in late September on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+ and can be viewed for a $30 premium fee. The film’s production cost around $200 million.
