DeSantis’s China record scrutinized as he hits Haley for hers

Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R-FL) dealings with Chinese companies, including Lenovo and Lexmark, are receiving a second look as his campaign and super PAC criticize former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for hers.

Under DeSantis, Florida had a contract with Lenovo as recently as this month despite multiple federal departments and agencies boycotting the company over national security concerns, particularly after China passed its 2017 intelligence law. That law requires businesses registered or operating in China to cooperate with the government, such as sharing sensitive information with the Chinese Communist Party. Florida’s contract with Lexmark expired last year.

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“Facts matter. Ron DeSantis uniquely recognizes the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and spent his governorship working to end pre-existing state ties with China and build up protections against future Chinese incursions,” DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

“Nikki Haley spent her governorship courting Chinese businesses to South Carolina, calling them a friend, and failing to pursue corrective efforts to safeguard her state from the threat of the CCP,” Griffin said. “As president, Ron DeSantis will ensure America wins and China loses. Nikki Haley’s past actions show that she would continue to roll out the red carpet for the CCP, which is disqualifying for anyone running for president.”

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette via AP)

Florida is not alone in contracting with Lenovo and Lexmark. South Carolina similarly engaged the companies from 2011 and 2018 when Haley was governor.

“Every governor running for president tried to recruit Chinese businesses to their state,” a Haley spokesman said. “Nikki Haley did it 10 years ago. Ron is aggressively recruiting Chinese companies now. The facts are clear. Ron DeSantis is lying about his record because he’s losing. That’s sad.”

DeSantis and Haley have increasingly clashed over China and their respective foreign policies as they seek to differentiate themselves before next week’s debate in Miami as former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the 2024 Republican primary.

DeSantis critics, for instance, also point to Cirrus Aircraft, owned by sanctioned Chinese military manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and Jinko Solar, a Chinese solar panel producer that federal authorities raided last spring after allegations it violated the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act in 2022, which have both expanded in Florida under the governor. Neither company benefited from taxpayer subsidies or incentives from DeSantis.

More broadly, DeSantis chairs the public-private economic development partnership Enterprise Florida, which sought Chinese investment through trade shows and presentations before the governor decided to start severing ties in 2020. Enterprise Florida did promote the state’s 4,500 China-driven jobs last October, though the country is Florida’s 16th largest foreign employer.

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Simultaneously, DeSantis supporters underscore the governor’s executive order last year directing Florida’s Department of Management Services to issue procurement rules stopping the state government from buying or using equipment or technology that could undermine national security. He has additionally signed legislation into law preventing the CCP from purchasing farmland or land near military installations, accessing data through servers or applications like TikTok, and influencing educational institutions.

Nationally, DeSantis has an average of 13% support in primary polls to Haley’s 8%, according to RealClearPolitics. Trump averages 59% of the vote three months before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.