In a letter to Netflix, five United States senators questioned the streaming giant's decision to produce The Three-Body Problem, citing "atrocities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)" of China.
The letter, signed by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), is addressed to Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. In it, the senators cite actions taken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against Uyghur Muslims in the XUAR (also known as Xinjiang), as well as statements made by Liu Cixin, author of The Three-Body Problem.
The senators condemned the CCP for its alleged policy of "mass imprisonment, forced labor, thought transformation in order to denounce religion and culture, involuntary medical testing, and forced sterilization and abortion." They further state these actions may amount to a "genocide" against Uyghur Muslims. Also drawing the senators' ire are statements made by Cixin in a 2019 interview with The New Yorker.
When asked during the interview about China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Cixin replied, "Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks? If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty.” Cixin's answer was interpreted as supporting the CCP's reported mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims.
The letter to Sarandos questioned whether Netflix condemns the "interment of 1.8 to 3 million Uyghurs" and if Netflix executives knew about Cixin's comments. The senators also asked if Netflix has a policy in place when entering contracts with individuals who promote ideologies antithetical to the company's beliefs. The letter concludes with the senators asking Sarandos and Netflix to reconsider "providing a platform to Mr. Liu."
The controversy is not the first involving a studio and the Xinjiang region. Earlier this month, Disney's Mulan was criticized for filming parts of the movie in Xinjiang and for thanking the CCP in the film's credits for granting permission to film in the region. Liu Yifei, who plays the titular character, was also condemned for supporting the Hong Kong Police Force. The combined controversies led to the #BoycottMulan movement on social media.
Liu Cixin is the author of the Remembrance of Earth's Past series, which comprises The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest and Death's End. In 2015, Cixin won the Hugo Award for Best Novel for The Three-Body Problem, becoming the first writer from Asia to achieve that honor.
Netflix announced The Three-Body Project on Sept. 1, which has Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo were attached to write and produce the series. Cixin is named as a consulting producer.
Source: THR