Florida leaders are sounding the alarm that China poses a direct threat to not only the nation but the state.
Local and state officials attended a roundtable discussion hosted by state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka on Tuesday morning. The focus was on foreign threats facing Florida, particularly by the government of China.
Retired Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert warned those in attendance that the country is seeing more Chinese police stations in U.S. cities; however, none of those stations are in the state of Florida.
The Chinese government says it provides services to citizens.
“We see Chinese communist clubs on our campuses,” Teichert said.
According to 2020 data from the U.S. Department of State, there are 67 such clubs operating across the country.
A host of leaders branded China as the enemy.
Dr. Munir Humayun of Florida State University cautioned that China is taking over economic growth.
“The Chinese are well aware of the fact that they want to take the new growth over,” Humayun stated.
While the communist country has posed concerns Steve Crim with Common Sense America said China poses a real threat to everyone attending the discussion, a room filled with mostly local leaders, including the mayor of Fort Myers and various county leaders.
“We are here to raise awareness to the dangers of China's influence,” Crim said.
Conspicuously absent during the discussions was the mention of other communist countries like Russia and Iran.
When Teichert was asked if they, too, should be a concern, he said yes.
“I acknowledge we really focused CCP control China, but there are other maligned actors out there,” he responded.
The retired brigadier general who worked under the Trump administration only mentioned other bad actors after the meeting when it was brought up in an on-camera interview.
“We must be mindful of the very robust threats of Russia and Iran and North Korea, specifically above and beyond China,” Teichert concluded.
When Persons-Mulicka was asked why she chose to host the event, she said she felt it was important.
“It's so critical to our future that we protect our home and community from foreign harm,” Persons-Mulicka said.
On Tuesday, NATO’s chief warned of Russian ties with China, Iran and North Korea as a concern.
“We need to continue to be vigilant and have these conversations,” Persons-Mulicka concluded.
Some political analysts say Republicans across the country are focusing on China in an effort to portray Democrats as weak on China with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office.