Concern With China Even Before COVID-19

by Conduit For Action: Many people are mad at China and say they won’t buy Chinese goods anymore. because of the COVID-19 virus. Whether or not China caused the virus, people are furious the Chinese communist government clamped down on the news of how much the virus had spread in China and how many people were dying. China kept the rest of the world in the dark during a time that world leaders could have been taking measures to fight the spread of the virus.

People were shocked when they learned the United States is dependent on Chinese made medical supplies and were furious when the communist controlled media suggested China might cut off medical supplies.

If you only became concerned about China because of COVID-19 then you are late to the game.

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE WARNED GOVERNORS
The Chinese threat to American foreign policy and American values is why U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo devoted his speech to our nations governors on the subject of China. Secretary Pompeo told the governors the Chinese government has methodically analyzed the vulnerabilities of our American system and are exploiting our freedoms to gain economic and political advantages over America. One way has been to build ties to governors and other state and local politicians and then use those ties to pressure them in ways that undermine our foreign policy.

Secretary Pompeo said, “Last year a Chinese government backed think-tank in Beijing produced a report that assessed all fifty of America’s governors on their attitudes towards China. They labeled each of you friendly, hardline or ambiguous. I’ll let you decide where you think you belong. Someone in China already has. Many of you indeed in that report are referenced by name.”

We wonder where Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is on the Chinese communist’s list. Governor Hutchinson’s administration has been giving Arkansas taxpayer money to communist Chinese companies to locate in Arkansas while the governor’s law firm has been making money representing several of those companies in legal matters. Hutchinson recently opposed a proposal to shut an Arkansas economic development office in China.

Secretary Pompeo gave several examples of how China has exerted pressure on their friends to undermine American relations with Taiwan.

1. Last August former Governor Phil Bryan of Mississippi received a letter from a Chinese diplomat threatening to cancel a Chinese investment if the governor chose to travel to Taiwan.
2. Earlier this year a Chinese diplomat sent a letter to the Speaker of one state’s legislature saying: “As we all know Taiwan is part of China. Avoid engaging in any official contact with Taiwan including sending congratulatory messages to the electeds, introducing bills and proclamations for the election, sending officials and representatives to attend the inauguration ceremony, and inviting officials in Taiwan to visit the United States.”
3. Chinese pressure even goes down to the school level. “Last year a high school in Chicago disinvited a Taiwanese representative to serve on a climate panel after Chinese pressure.”

In the speech Secretary Pompeo went on to describe other Chinese actions such as China’s Thousand Talents Plan which recruits American scientists and professors “to transfer the know-how we have here to China in exchange for enormous paydays;” China’s Confucius Institute which is an education program used to influence our youth; and the time when the Chinese paid the UC San Diego students to protest a visit by the Dalai Lama.

He talked about state business relations with China such as the Florida Retirement System’s investment in a company that in turn is invested in surveillance gear that the Chinese Communist Party uses to track more than one million Muslim minorities and California’s pension fund which is invested in companies that supply the People’s Liberation Army. Secretary Pompeo’s warning to our nation’s governors is worth watching. See the official U.S. Department of State video of speech here.

Concerns with the actions of communist China didn’t begin with and won’t end with COVID-19.
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Conduit News is the number one source of Arkansas conservative news and politics. Our mission is to provide in-depth, conservative commentary on Arkansas breaking news at the Arkansas Capitol and across the state.

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