Over the weekend, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) was critical of the Indo-Pacific defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
In a statement, Rubio expressed that “the Chinese Communist Party will use this weekend as an opportunity to sell its vision of ‘region order,’” saying that “attendees should be clear that the CCP’s worldview is fundamentally hostile to the rules-based order.”
The Florida lawmaker has been critical of the Communist Party of China, warning that it poses a threat to the United States and the world.
“This is a regime that seeks to turn the Indo-Pacific into a region that looks much like China itself, where power is centralized in Beijing, dissenting voices are brutally silenced, and might makes right,” Rubio said.
Earlier this year, Rubio also directed blame to China, saying that they are complicit in the current war between Russia and Ukraine, which he reiterated in his comments regarding the summit.
“This is increasingly clear as we see Beijing consolidating power in Hong Kong, preparing to attack Taiwan, and supporting Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” he said, adding that “it should serve as a stark warning to Indo-Pacific nations that the CCP cannot be trusted to respect its neighbors’ sovereignty.”
Rubio concluded his remarks by warning that “the future of a CCP-led region is clear, and it would be disastrous for every country in the region except for China.”
Florida Rep. Michael Waltz (R) raised concerns in early May, questioning whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had reviewed the acquisition of Forbes Global Media Holdings. Forbes has been acquired by Magnus Opus Ltd, which is a China-based special purchase.
Representatives from Magnus Opus Ltd met with representatives of Forbes in March, and the acquisition led to Waltz directing a letter Gary Gensler, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over his “grave concerns” regarding the purchase.
