Republican staffs China trip shows double standard
Two members of Floridas congressional delegation, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have gained reputations during their time in office for speaking out forcefully and frequently against communism, particularly the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba.
In February, Rubio delivered a speech on the Senate floor, lambasting his colleague, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, for praising the Cuban health care and education systems.
I would suggest to my colleagues, the next time they go to Cuba, Rubio said, ask to meetwith the dissidents and the human rights activists that are jailed and repressed and exiled.
In 2013, Ros-Lehtinen called communism an abysmal failure, referring specifically to Communist China.
The legislators criticism of communism is certainly warranted. Freedom of speech and other rights are violated and repressed in the worlds remaining communist countries.
That said, it was surprising to read a report from the Tampa Bay Times that aides from the offices of both Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen recently took an all expenses paid trip to China. Those expenses were paid directly by the communist Chinese government that both officials have so strongly criticized.
Alex Conant, a spokesperson for Rubios office, explained the trip by arguing that China is too important to ignore.
Senator Rubio has consistently condemned the totalitarian nature of the Chinese government, its record of systematic human rights violations and its illegitimate territorial claims, Conant wrote. However, China is the most populous nation on earth, has the worlds second largest economy, has a significant nuclear weapons arsenal and is increasingly an economic competitor of the United States.
Theres no doubt that China plays a vital role in the world economy. Attempting to isolate ourselves from one of the worlds most important global powers is not an ideal strategy.
However, Rubio has previously harshly criticized those who visit communist countries, especially Cuba.
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Republican staffs China trip shows double standard