DeSantis escalates war on Chinese Communist Party

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party, signed into law on Monday a package of bills that take aggressive action against the CCP. Called “Stop CCP Influence,” the legislation consists of SB 264, SB 846, and SB 258, all of which were passed out of the Florida Legislature after DeSantis urged state lawmakers to “combat corporate espionage and higher education subterfuge carried out by the CCP and its agents.”

“Florida is taking action to stand against the United States’ greatest geopolitical threat — the Chinese Communist Party,” the popular governor blazoned. “I’m proud to sign this legislation to stop the purchase of our farmland and land near our military bases and critical infrastructure by Chinese agents, to stop sensitive digital data from being stored in China, and to stop CCP influence in our education system from grade school to grad school. We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China.”

First in the trio, SB 264 restricts CCP-affiliated entities’ ability to purchase farmland in the Sunshine State. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2021, China owned an estimated 383,935 acres of American farmland. Following this year’s Chinese spy balloon incident, there has been a growing push for legislators to crack down on the amount of land the People’s Republic of China is allowed to own.

SB 264 also ensures that Floridians’ sensitive personal information is not stored on CCP-owned servers.

Next in the package, SB 846 bars state colleges and universities from accepting gifts from foreign schools in countries of concern, ensuring that Chinese influence stays out of Florida’s education system.

Lastly, SB 258 cracks down on dangerous applications, including TikTok, being used on government-issued devices.

In a press conference where he signed the “Stop CCP Influence” package, DeSantis bashed American “elites” for putting “short-term profits over long-term U.S. interests.” He has also been clear that—unlike what many in the Biden administration say—China is more than just a competitor, but America’s biggest foreign adversary.

This is not the first time the governor has taken aggressive action against Communist China. In fact, in 2019, a Chinese think tank ranked DeSantis as one of the top five governors most hostile to the CCP. Since then, he has only doubled down.

Especially at a time when polling reveals many Americans question whether President Biden has been compromised by China, states such as Florida must maintain the right to stand up for themselves. To get the federal government out of the way, and root out D.C. corruption in the process, join the Convention of States movement today, and together, let’s bring power back to the American people—where it belongs.