MIAMI – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills Monday morning aimed at combating foreign influence in the U.S. from seven specific countries including China, Cuba, Russia, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea.
“I’ve always viewed China as an adversary,” the governor said.
The bills prohibit agreements between public entities of any one of the specified countries.
The governor said it will also crack down on foreign actors who steal trade secrets and research from American businesses and institutions.
It also encourages diverting America dollars from Chinese production to domestic manufacturing.
“Foreign adversaries will not have access to our schools, government and companies like they have in the past,” DeSantis said.
Several Taiwanese representatives took the podium outside the Florida National Guard Robert A. Ballard Armory in Miami to speak specifically about China’s stifling of freedom.
The governor also highlighted the need for answers over what he calls the nefarious origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I really hope that we’re going to have accountability for the origins of the COVID pandemic because this did not need to happen,” DeSantis said.
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