WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senator Rick Scott hosted a roundtable with subject matter experts, human rights activists and former federal officials to discuss ideas for how the United States can combat the threats Communist China poses to human rights, democracy, America’s national security and global markets.

Senator Rick Scott said, “When there is such a clear and present danger to our nation’s security, our economy, and to liberty and human rights, we all have to work together. Xi Jinping’s evil regime ruling over Communist China must understand that the United States is willing to aggressively confront the threats it poses to America and all freedom-loving people. I want to thank Enes Kanter Freedom, Samuel Chu, Ambassador Kelley Currie, Simon Zhang, Steve Yates, Derek Scissors, Nazak Nikakhtar, Jacob Helberg and Mackenzie Eaglen for joining me to deliver that message. I have been clear that all Americans, especially our businesses, have a big role to play in removing Communist China’s power over our way of life. Yesterday, we continued an important discussion about how we can hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable, and I’ll keep fighting with these great partners to protect U.S. interests.”

Samuel Chu, President of The Campaign for Hong Kong, said, “Make no mistake – these acts are threatening our collective freedom of speech and basic human rights all of us enjoy as Americans. Freedom is not exclusive to anyone. Everyone has a claim to freedom. A threat to freedom and human rights in Hong Kong is a threat to freedom in the US, and a threat to freedom of the world.”

Mackenzie Eaglen, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute, said, “We are already a year-and-a-half into the six-year window where we expect Beijing to take forcible action against Taiwan. I’m thankful Senator Scott convened this roundtable because these conversations are vital to ensuring America is ready to adequately confront Beijing.”

Jacob Helberg, Adjunct Fellow at Center for Strategic & International Studies, said, “The Chinese Communist Party is in a Cold War with the American-led order. I want to thank Senator Rick Scott for bringing together this roundtable and am encouraged to see that American policymakers are beginning to accept this reality as a basis for policy planning.”

The Honorable Nazak Nikakhtar, former Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce, said, “The United States must confront the unimaginable human rights atrocities that are taking place from a position of strength and courage, and we must make clear that we will NOT support these atrocities - including through the transfer of our wealth, the transfer of our technology, or our purchasing power. It is our moral obligation, as citizens, corporations and the Government, to put an end to this. I sincerely thank Senator Scott for this forward-leaning leadership in having this conversation and his tireless efforts to move this country in the right direction here. I am certain that Senator Scott will be remembered for being on the right side of history.”

Derek Scissors, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said, “We should not be supporting the Communist Chinese economy with American money. All parties in Washington should act quickly to decouple our key supply chains and restrict outbound investment in China. Thank you to Senator Scott for convening this roundtable and seeking solutions so Congress can act.”

Steve Yates, Chairman of America First Policy Institute’s China Policy Initiative, said, “It has been conspicuous in recent years that while many of us believe that the People’s Republic of China under the Communist Party leadership demonstrates a different kind of threat and the most significant national security challenge to the United States there are so few hearings on this subject that will dive into this. So this conversation is a lifesaver.”

Simon Zhang said, “Falun Gong are one of the victims of religious persecution in Communist China. There are also Uyghurs, Tibetans, Christians and many others who all suffer under the Communist regime. Defending human rights should be a priority for the United States as a matter of national security.”

Ambassador Kelley Currie, former U.S. Ambassador-At-Large For Global Women’s Issues said, “We must continue to promote solutions that get at the true nature of the threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to the United States and to human rights and democracy around the world. As someone who’s worked on human rights for nearly three decades here in Washington and has seen China at the center of nearly every human rights problem, I was proud to join Senator Rick Scott and my colleagues for this important discussion yesterday.”

Enes Kanter Freedom said, “This is bigger than basketball. This is bigger than the NBA. This is bigger than myself. People in Communist China are being tortured and raped every day. I will not stay silent and I thank Senator Scott for bringing attention to these terrible abuses.”

Watch more in the video HERE or below.

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