On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the signing into law of two foreign influence-related bills, the first of which prevents public institutions in Florida from making agreements with what he calls “malignant forces.” These forces include the Chinese Communist Party along with Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, Syria, and North Korea.
JUST IN - Florida's Gov. DeSantis to sign bills to stop foreign influence by "malignant forces" like China.pic.twitter.com/A7WvJNPD6U
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Making the announcement standing at a podium emblazoned with a “STOP CCP INFLUENCE” sign, DeSantis began his remarks saying “the goal of these bills is to stop—combat—nefarious foreign influence and corporate espionage in Florida.” He stated that the Wuhan coronavirus cover-up has exposed relationships between institutions in China and bureaucrats in the United States that justify this new legislation:
"It's pretty clear that this was a virus that almost assuredly leaked out of this lab in Wuhan. This is a lab where these scientists were working very closely with the Communist Party of China as well as the Chinese military. When you had these folks fall ill who were working in that lab last fall, the Communist Party of China decided to cover it up. They didn't give any information out, they didn't ask for any assistance, they didn't give a heads up to anybody. They tried to cover it up."
“There is no single entity that exercises a more pervasive, nefarious influence across a wide range of American industries and institutions than the Communist Party of China,” added DeSantis. He continued, mentioning academia, corporate media, and big tech companies as other fields where China's influence has had a damaging effect.
Confucius Institutes, another means through which the Communist Party of China exerts influence in the United States by partnering with American universities, will be banned in the Sunshine State with the passage of this new law. The bill additionally ensures that Florida or public companies in Florida “do not make deals with private companies that are closely tied to these foreign adversaries.”
Any party wishing to participate with colleges and universities in Florida, whether individual, corporation, or foreign state, will be fully vetted to ensure “no bad actors” are involved.
The second bill, “The Combatting Corporate Espionage in Florida Act,” creates new penalties for the theft or trafficking of trade secrets.
"What we're doing here [at the] state level is important and significant, but there's much more that needs to be done to be able to combat [Communist Party of China] influence in the United States," DeSantis added.