Chris Fenton ’93 delivered remarks on Thursday as part of the Cornell Review’s brand new China Initiative. Mr. Fenton is the author of Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business.
Mr. Fenton has appeared on CBS This Morning, ABC, Fox News, CNBC, BBC, and other outlets. He produced and/or supervised over 21 Hollywood films, grossing over $2 billion.
During his address, Fenton stated that increased commercial interactions between the United States and China have failed to lead to democratization.
“They’re more communist and totalitarian now than they’ve ever been in my career.”
“I was not a greedy capitalist selling out the soul of America. I was actually under this misguided mission that all of us believed in- thoroughly -that what we were doing was in the best interest of America. And it wasn’t until way late in the game that we realized it wasn’t,” reflected Fenton.
Fenton warned that America has a small and narrowing window to change the trajectory of our relationship with China. He pointed to American participation in the 2022 Olympics, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing, as leverage that can be used in negotiations.
“If we have something to gain by boycotting the Olympics, then we probably have something bigger to gain by threatening to boycott the Olympics… Let’s use Beijing 2022 as a pressure point to get some constructive changes done in the U.S.-China relationship.”
Mr. Fenton also spoke about the CCP’s influence in Hollywood, academia, and sports. His full presentation can be watched above. Links to Feeding the Dragon and Chris Fenton’s Twitter can be found below:
