On Friday, Governor Ron Desantis welcomed a Japanese delegation to Florida for the 44th annual Southeastern United States-Japan meeting.
The summit is crucial for the state of Florida as Japan is the state’s third-largest trading partner.
The meeting appeared to be productive and friendly on both sides as DeSantis said he ‘looks forward to further expanding our economic ties.’
It was great to host the 44th annual Southeastern United States-Japan meeting. Japan is Florida's 3rd largest trade partner & we look forward to further expanding our economic ties.
Thank you to the Japanese delegation for visiting Florida & supporting our growing partnership. pic.twitter.com/iEHbiC3EIT— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2022
During the summit, DeSantis slammed the Chinese government for its authoritarian policies and said that Japan plays a key strategic role in combatting the threat China poses to free countries across the world. He also encouraged the United States government to strengthen its ties with Japan further.
“The number one challenge that free people have to deal with is the rise of China and the Chinese Communist Party. And, if you look at those threats, there’s no way those can be managed without a strong Japan and a strong United States relationship,” the governor said at the meeting. “Japan is what’s right about the Asian-Pacific.”
WATCH: Gov. Ron DeSantis hosts Japan in annual meeting, slams Chinese 'aggression and belligerence'
"The number one challenge that free people have to deal with is the rise of China and the Chinese Communist Party." pic.twitter.com/6oOMv8DkSs
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) November 18, 2022
Further highlighting the importance of freedom as a building block of prosperity, DeSantis discussed the mass exodus from liberal states to states like Texas and Florida.
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“It’s really accelerated over the last few years, particularly in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw too many states in our country lock people down, grind them down, keep kids out of school,” he said.
Florida ranked #1 for attracting and developing a skilled workforce
#1 in education attainment
#1 in jobs
#1 in skilled jobs
#1 in migration
#1 in competitive effect
#1 in skilled job openingsGuess which state ranked last? New York
— Brendon Leslie (@BrendonLeslie) November 15, 2022
Discussing a direct method to strengthen ties between Florida and Japan, DeSantis floated the idea of direct flights between Japan and Florida.
“If you got interest in investing here, let us know; we’ll make it worth your while,” He said.
'I think a lot of Japanese people would really love to come and visit Florida.'@GovRonDeSantis calls for direct flights between Florida, Japan
Reporting by @AGGancarskihttps://t.co/phTfydZUcR#FlaPol
— Florida Politics (@Fla_Pol) November 18, 2022
DeSantis discussed his plan to ban adversaries of the United States, including China, from purchasing land in the state of Florida.
“The last thing we want to see is the CCP getting their mitts onto people’s personal information,” DeSantis said. “This will prevent the exposure of Floridians’ personal information and technology systems in Florida to foreign entities and bad actors.”
The Florida Governor has made counteracting Chinese influence a key element of his platform since taking office in 2018.
Breaking: Ron Desantis proposes Bill to ban China from buying property pic.twitter.com/UdD7fmL4tK
— Sam (@Sam73616329) November 13, 2022
DeSantis has also advocated for regulating and banning controversial ‘Confucius Institutes’ in the state of Florida.
The Institutes, which are largely funded and run by the Chinese government, supposedly exists to educate Americans about Chinese culture.
Others have alleged that they are being used to spread Chinese propaganda in the United States and to monitor Chinese students and migrants in the United States.
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