At a press conference Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blasted the Chinese Communist Party for stealing America’s intellectual property via corporate espionage, and signed two bills written to combat Chinese Influence.
He signed HB 1523, which imposes stricter penalties for corporate espionage.
He also signed HB 7017 into law, a bill that forced any “state agency or political subdivision to disclose certain gifts or grants received from any foreign source to the Department of Financial Services,” and is meant to combat foreign influence in the Sunshine State.
The latter bill bans universities from implementing cultural programs from hostile foreign nations like China, Syria, and North Korea.
China is infamous for its Confucius Institutes which, disguised as educational programs on Chinese culture on college campuses across the country, have long been suspected of being spy and foreign influence fronts for the Chinese Communist Party.
“Make no mistake — China is a hostile foreign power, and every Governor has the responsibility to protect their education system, and every other entity within their purview, from the espionage and commercial theft undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party,” DeSantis said in a press release. “While China remains the biggest threat, numerous countries are working to infiltrate our state and nation. By signing these bills today, we are taking action to ensure foreign adversaries will not have unfettered access to our schools, government, and companies.”
During his press conference, he called the Communist Chinese the most “pervasive, nefarious influence” among major American institutions.
He also ripped the Chinese government for its alleged coverup of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which many suspect escaped a lab in Wuhan, despite American health “experts” declaring with near certainty that it was borne from bats at a Wuhan wet market.
“Enough is enough,” DeSantis said at the press conference. “We’ve got to start fighting back.”
“It’s pretty clear that this was a virus that almost assuredly leaked out of this lab in Wuhan,” he continued. “This is a lab where these scientists were working closely with the Communist Party of China, as well as the Chinese military.”
Combating the global influence of China has become a prominent theme for the Republican Party, which sees the Asian superpower as the most dangerous threat to American sovereignty in the 21st century, as opposed to Russia and former Soviet Union countries in eastern Europe.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0 and “Confucius Institute” is by Kreeder13 CC4.0.