Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who has touted his tough stance toward China, remained silent when a subsidiary of a U.S.-sanctioned Chinese company expanded within 15 miles of a Florida military base during his tenure as the state’s governor.
During the election campaign, DeSantis, 45, said he would “reorient” US foreign policy to prioritize the Indo-Pacific region and signed legislation preventing Chinese Communist Party affiliates from buying land near military bases.
Cirrus Aircraft, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC) of China, opened two new locations in central Florida in 2022.
One of them was at Orlando Executive Airport, 12.7 miles from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
AVIC makes fighter jets, helicopters and drones for the Chinese military.
In 2020, the United States considered AVIC a potential national security threat and imposed sanctions on the company as part of an initiative to stop the growth of companies linked to Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army.
DeSantis stands in front of a plane bearing the Cirrus insignia as he delivers a speech about Biden’s weakness on China. GovRonDeSantis/Facebook
DeSantis said nothing publicly about Cirrus expansion in his state at the time, and in February 2023, he delivered remarks in front of a Cirrus SR 22 aircraft while criticizing President Biden’s response to the Chinese spy balloon fiasco.
The state of Florida has not provided any taxpayer subsidies or other incentives to Cirrus or its parent company.
Cirrus, while not subject to sanctions itself, could pose a risk to U.S. national security because of its connection to AVIC, defense experts told The Post.
There are no signs that the US government will crack down on Cirrus anytime soon, and the federal government has not charged the company with any crimes.
“It is unnecessarily risky to allow subsidiaries of Chinese companies that have been listed as sanctioned to operate,” said retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The parent company no longer met the transparency standard that led them to that point. [sanctions] list.”
Cirrus’ subsidiary status raises “questions” about how close the company is to AVIC, said Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“Simply put, it’s concerning,” Bingen said. “Even with a subsidiary I would like to understand: who is on the board of directors? To what extent does the parent company have control, provide direction, and receive information from the subsidiary?
Cirrus Orlando Executive Airport location offers Cirrus aircraft sales and concierge flight training.Cirrus Aircraft
A Cirrus prospectus filed in June on the Hong Kong stock exchange showed that company employees do have ties to other US-sanctioned subsidiaries of AVIC.
Cirrus Vice President Hui Wang is a director of AVIC Heavy Machinery Co., a company sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department and listed by the Pentagon as a Chinese military company, Bloomberg reported.
According to the outlet, an additional Cirrus director is on the board of directors of two US-sanctioned AVIC subsidiaries.
Cirrus has maintained that its relationship with AVIC poses no threat to US national security interests.
“U.S. law strictly prohibits the sharing of any information that could pose a risk to the national security of the United States, and Cirrus Aircraft complies with all U.S. laws and regulations,” spokeswoman Nadia Haidar said in a statement.
AVIC makes fighter jets, helicopters and drones for the Chinese military. VCG via Getty Images
China has been at the forefront of the 2024 campaign, with DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley accusing each other of being soft on Beijing as their poll numbers show them neck and neck in the primaries.
“Facts matter,” DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin told The Post. “Ron DeSantis uniquely recognizes the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and spent his term as governor working to end pre-existing state ties with China and develop protections against future Chinese incursions.”
“Nikki Haley spent her time as governor courting Chinese companies to South Carolina, calling them friends and making no corrective efforts to safeguard her state from the CCP threat. As president, Ron DeSantis will ensure that the United States wins and China loses. “Nikki Haley’s past actions show that she would continue to roll out the red carpet for the PCC, which disqualifies anyone running for president,” Griffin added.
DeSantis signed bills prohibiting CCP-affiliated entities from purchasing US farmland.Getty Images
As governor, DeSantis has signed bills banning sensitive data from being stored on CCP-owned or affiliated servers, preventing state colleges and universities from being subject to Chinese influence, and blocking access to CCP-affiliated apps like TikTok in government devices.
He also signed an executive order prohibiting government entities from acquiring technology from CCP-affiliated companies.
Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis, recently released an ad focused on the donation of 197 South Carolina acres to a Chinese fiberglass company during Haley’s tenure as governor.
Haley has argued that the project helped the economic development of her home state.
Chinese investments in South Carolina more than doubled while Haley was governor, according to the Washington Post, and CCP-affiliated companies received 1,500 acres of land.
He also pressured the Commerce Department to reconsider its high tariff on China-affiliated company Giti Tires.
Haley, meanwhile, accused DeSantis of trying to conceal his past efforts to recruit Chinese companies in Florida by removing references to such links on a government website.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn