Rep. Mike Waltz: ‘Instead of defunding police, how about we defund dictatorships’ like China
FBI Director Chris Wray declared China the biggest threat to the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., called for more action against China while appearing on "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy."
Following FBI Director Christopher Wray’s warning that China poses the biggest long-term threat to the United States, Waltz insisted now is the time for industries to step away from Chinese companies.
"They need to wake up. If you do business with a Chinese company, if you do business in China, you allow their researchers into your labs. They are going to steal your intellectual property. It doesn’t make them bad people or bad businesses or bad Chinese students. Their government is forcing them to do so. They will set up a competitor, state-subsidize it, put you out of business and then dominate that market," Waltz said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Mike Waltz on Fox News (Fox News)
Waltz also warned that the very same process is already leaving the world with global dependencies on China for pharmaceuticals and technology that helps to fund their military.
"Historians are going to look back at this and say, ‘You funded your greatest competitor. You funded, America, your demise.’ And we’re drunk on Chinese dollars from Wall Street to the NBA to academia to our politicians across the board. We have got to start - instead of defunding police, how about we defund dictatorships?" Waltz asked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added, "And my message to every group I talk to is, when you see ‘Made in China,’ put it down. It’s not just a jobs and a human rights issue. It’s a national security issue. We have to bring those supply chains back home."
Congress continues to have ongoing discussions about divesting from China, Waltz mentioned, following the coronavirus pandemic.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. (Photo by Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
"Literally they could turn off our ability to produce ammunition, that’s kind of important for the defense department. Not to mention, they could also turn off our antibiotics which we no longer produce here. They can turn off our cancer meds. And you’ve got Biden and the left driving us to a green economy. China produces 90% of the world’s solar powers and 90% of the world’s lithium," Waltz said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In terms of a military strategy, Waltz also emphasized that President Biden should move past the original policy of "strategic ambiguity" with the growing threat to Taiwan.
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"I think that was a fine policy for many decades, but now that under Chairman Xi, he is telling his country to prepare for war, and he is actively threatening Taiwan. He is talking about replacing the American dream with the China dream, and replacing United States as a global leader, I think that it’s time to move on from that policy," Waltz said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He noted that Biden himself appeared to agree with his sentiment before the White House walked back his aggressive statement.
Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
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"I think it’s high time we make it clear as a deterrent measure to shift from strategic ambiguity to strategic deterrents. And tell the Chinese Communist Party in no uncertain terms we will defend Taiwan. And why is that so important to the American people? If they take Taiwan, they take the computer chips and all the trade routes to our allies. We can’t allow that to happen," Waltz closed.