Ron DeSantis says China creates conflict by propping up Russia and Iran
- The 2024 US presidential hopeful linked Beijing to the Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars, and called the Asian superpower a ‘formidable threat’ to the US
- DeSantis also called for ‘hard power’ to deter China from attacking Taiwan, vowing to build up the US Navy
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis focused on the challenge presented by China in a foreign policy address, saying the country posed a “formidable threat” to the US and accusing Beijing of contributing to global instability through its economic links to Russia and Iran.
“China is the key player behind both of those foreign conflicts,” DeSantis said Friday, linking Beijing to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict, in an address at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington.
“The CCP is keeping both Iran and Russia afloat financially,” he said referring to the Chinese Communist Party. “China is purchasing massive amounts of Iranian oil on the black market, thereby enriching mullahs and Russia is selling China gas and much, much more and that is bolstering Russia’s war machine.”
DeSantis said those conflicts will ultimately harm US interests to China’s gain.
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“Lengthy conflicts, particularly between Russia and Ukraine will ultimately benefit China because it will distract America and it will deplete our already dwindling Western weapons and ammunition stockpiles,” he said.