WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following the announcement that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Alaska next week to meet with officials from the Chinese Communist Party.

Senator Rick Scott said, “General Secretary Xi knows President Biden is weak on China and wants nothing more than to appease the Chinese Communist Party. Since the Biden Administration is intent on meeting with the Chinese Communist Party next week, Secretary Blinken and National Security Adviser Sullivan need to make clear that the United States will not waver in its commitment to human rights and the protection of our national security.

“The United States needs to be very clear about what we are up against. General Secretary Xi is leading a stripping civil liberties from Hong Kongers and harassing and intimidating the people of Taiwan. Communist China is America’s greatest national security threat. Communist China steals American technology and intellectual property and, at the direction of General Secretary Xi, has shown it will do anything in the quest for world domination. Communist China is our enemy, plain and simple. As representatives of the United States, I expect Secretary Blinken and National Security Adviser Sullivan to stand strong against Communist China and set expectations that we will continue to put America’s interests first.”