If elected president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he has a plan to combat the threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to the U.S. and American democracy, a threat that he says represents no less than a “global dystopia.”

“The threat posed by the CCP requires our primary focus and attention right now,” DeSantis said during a speech at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., Friday morning, adding that China is America’s “first truly peer competitor that we have dealt with in our lifetimes.” (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of Heritage.)  

“A world that a world that’s dominated by CCP will see them export their authoritarian vision all across the world,” he warned. “This will be a world marked by internet policing, artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and social credit scores. It will end up creating a global dystopia.”

DeSantis said his plan to combat the threat from China is multifaceted, but put simply, it boils down to, “We win and they lose.”  

First, the governor pledged that as president he would “modernize and bolster our military capability to deter CCP aggression” because “peace can only be achieved through strength.”  

To this end, the Florida governor said he would strengthen America’s Navy with “355 ships by the end of the first term, 385 by the end of the second term, and a pathway for 600 ships within the next 20 years.” 

Second, DeSantis said the U.S. must “unleash America’s full economic potential and prevent the CCP from surpassing us as an economic power.”  

“Third thing we have to do,” the governor continued, “is ensure robust technological dominance in fields like robotics, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, biotech and blockchain.”  

To maintain America’s presence on the world stage and combat China’s growing power, DeSantis said America must also “defend the homeland against CCP influence.” According to the governor, this includes securing America’s borders, preventing the CCP from purchasing American land, revamping “domestic intel and law enforcement agencies,” and removing CCP influence from America’s colleges and universities.  

Finally, he said America must combat China by standing “for individual liberty and human dignity.” 

DeSantis’ speech at Heritage is part of the ongoing Mandate for Leadership Series presented by The Heritage Foundation and The Epoch Times. Named after Heritage’s signature publication, “Mandate for Leadership,” first released in 1981 and updated over the years, the series features public policy discussions on some of the most critical issues America faces today.  

Heritage released the latest “Mandate for Leadership” book in April. It includes contributions from more than 35 primary authors and hundreds of contributors, each focused on providing research and recommendations to every department of government, from Homeland Security to Education to Agriculture.  

The book is intended to serve as a roadmap of policy solutions prepared by conservatives for the next administration. The Mandate for Leadership Series features discussions focused on the policy issues in the book and has included remarks from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.  

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