WATCH: CNBC’s Sara Eisen Confronts Nike CEO About Turning a Blind Eye to China’s Human Rights Abuses Over Profit

Nike CEO John Donahoe fawned on Thursday over his company’s “incredible” connection with Chinese consumers, arguing in an interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen that Nike’s operations in the country were “very aligned” with its values.

Eisen broached the issue, saying, “Some are wondering, John, why you have not been more vocal as a company about some of the human rights abuses in China, when you have been so up front about societal and social issues here in the U.S.”

Responding to Eisen, Donahoe said, “China is a very important market for us. We have a long-term history in China. … Our founder was in China 40 years ago beginning to build what’s now an incredible consumer connection that Chinese consumers have with Nike.”

A 2020 Washington Post report suggested that China was surreptitiously using slave labor provided by Uighurs — an ethnic minority — to supply at least some of Nike’s manufacturing needs in the country. Nike denied the allegation, but Donahoe revived the issue in June with a comment that Nike “is of China and for China.”

Eisen did not mention the labor issue, but did cite China’s abuse of protesters and its attempt to conceal the origins of Covid-19 in a follow-up. “Do you feel like you have to sacrifice your values at all to do business there and to continue to grow, and to continue those deep roots?” she asked Donahoe.

“Not at all, Sara,” he replied. “We connect to consumers all over the world.”

He added, “We operate very aligned with our values … including throughout our entire supply chain. And so this is simply part of the challenges of operating a global brand in a global market.”

Watch above via CNBC.