Haley Campaign Press Release - Hypocrisy Alert: DeSantis Lies About His Chinese Business Recruitment Amid Cover-Up Attempt

Ron DeSantis is spending millions of dollars attacking Nikki Haley for bringing a fiber glass company to South Carolina 10 years ago, but his own record shows he's a hypocrite who is currently recruiting Chinese companies and investment to Florida. He also allowed Chinese-owned companies to expand in Florida as recently as 2022 and 2023.

Not only is Ron DeSantis lying about his aggressive efforts to recruit Chinese companies to Florida, he orchestrated a government-wide cover-up to scrub the evidence of his China ties from the Internet.

Ron DeSantis is lying because he's losing. He's lying about China and his cover-up attempts. He's lying about his ban on fracking and drilling. He's lying about Haley's record on China.

RON DeSANTIS

Ron DeSantis aggressively recruits Chinese companies and investment to Florida. Just last week, he tried to cover up the evidence of his China ties, but The Messenger found the receipts.

• Ron DeSantis chairs Florida's economic development entity, Enterprise Florida, that seeks direct Chinese investment in Florida. Enterprise Florida was changed to Select Florida on Nov. 1, 2023.
• A 2019-2020 annual report details the great lengths Enterprise Florida went to recruit Chinese investment, including attending international trade shows and using tailored marketing tools to attract Chinese investors. The annual report, which has been scrubbed from the Internet, states, "EFI Hong Kong leveraged trade shows and industry or investment forums to expand our network and explore trade and investment opportunities for Florida."
• As of Nov. 1, 2023, Enterprise Florida listed an office in China, which has since been scrubbed from the Internet.
• An October 2022 report boasted about the jobs resulting from Chinese investment in Florida.
• An exposé by The Messenger shows that Ron DeSantis scrubbed the internet of all the evidence of his China ties as soon as the media started asking questions.

Ron DeSantis allowed a sanctioned Chinese-owned aircraft company to expand in Florida and then POSED in front of the Chinese airplane while criticizing Joe Biden's weakness on China.

• Cirrus Aircraft is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC) of China, a maker of fighter jets, helicopters, and drones for The People's Liberation Army.
• Starting In 2020, the U.S. flagged AVIC as a national security threat and imposed sanctions because of its connection to the Chinese military.
• Two years after AVIC was sanctioned, in 2022, Ron DeSantis did nothing and said nothing when Cirrus opened two new locations in Central Florida—at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport and Orlando Executive Airport.
• ??The Orlando Executive Airport is 12.7 miles from the Naval Air Warfare Center Navy Base.

DeSantis stands in front of aircraft donning Cirrus insignia while delivering a speech on Biden's weakness on China. GovRonDeSantis/Facebook

DeSantis allowed a raided Chinese company to expand in Florida six months ago.

• In April 2023, the city of Jacksonville approved a $2.3 million grant for China-based solar panel manufacturer Jinko Solar to expand. Ron DeSantis said and did nothing.
• In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raided a factory and sales office operated by China's Jinko Solar Holding Co in Florida.
• The city of Jacksonville rescinded the grant, but the expansion still continued.

Criticism

• Washington Examiner: DeSantis's China record scrutinized as he hits Haley for hers
• The Messenger: Florida agency scrubs China mentions amid DeSantis-Haley feud. 'coverup' or coincidence?
• New York Post: China-owned company expanded near Fla. military base under DeSantis governorship
• New York Post: DeSantis accused of hiding efforts to lure Chinese companies to Florida
• Daily Mail: Nikki Haley campaign accuses Ron DeSantis of 'hiding evidence' on Florida's push to 'recruit Chinese companies' after it was revealed the state agency SCRUBBED mentions of a Hong Kong satellite office

NIKKI HALEY

• Haley is the most outspoken candidate on the growing China threat. She released a detailed plan to combat China, including ending normal trade relations if China does not stop sending fentanyl to America. Haley released the second phase of her China plan in July.
• As UN ambassador, Haley hammered China and Russia into signing onto the strongest set of sanctions on North Korea ever.
• As ambassador, Haley warned of China's failure to abide by the rule of law and human rights, stating that the U.S. must turn up the heat on China.
• Haley was one of the first leaders to call for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics in 2021.
• In 2020, Nikki wrote two pieces about the need to separate from China and become more self-reliant.
• In 2019, Haley gave a major speech on China in which she called on the world to wake up to the increasing Chinese threat.

Praise for Haley on China

• Maria Bartiromo, Fox Business: Nikki Haley was good on China when she was the UN ambassador.
• Morgan Ortagus, NewsNation: In the first few years of the Trump administration, Nikki Haley, who was UN ambassador at the time, was able to negotiate the toughest sanctions ever on North Korea and China and Russia, who are part of the Security Council, actually agreed to those.
• Josh Rogin, Washington Post: Haley...is also putting herself forth as a China hawk. But she at least has some real diplomatic experience to tout...She negotiated with Chinese diplomats at the United Nations. She spoke out against Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong and the Uyghur genocide even when her boss, President Donald Trump, refused to do so.
• Liz Peek, The Hill: Nikki Haley is right — Biden is weak on China.
• Stuart Varney, Fox Business: I think you are the only Republican candidate who claims a China plan apart from confronting them over climate.
• Charles Payne, Fox Business: And I will tell the audience, you've got a strong long record of being tough against China.
• The State: Nikki Haley has been the most vocal on China and military policies in comparison to other candidates, and her experience as UN ambassador under Trump has led her to use the topic as a defining aspect of her campaign.