Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley just launched a new China project and a petition to Congress calling on lawmakers to take five steps addressing China’s detriment to the world.
“We have long warned about the threats China’s Communist government poses. Now, in a time of crisis, we are seeing just how dangerous China is. The time for warnings is over. We must act and protect American security, health, and prosperity,” Haley said in a statement provided to American Military News.
The petition is released on Haley’s new website, StopCommunistChina.com, which is backed by her advocacy organization, Stand For America.
The petition urges members of Congress to probe whether China covered up the coronavirus outbreak, end the United States’ reliance on China for critical medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, make China pay its fair share to the United Nations, back Taiwan against China’s bullying, and mandate all U.S. colleges disclose Chinese funding.
Haley has been an outspoken critic of Communist China, and hasn’t hesitated to confront them head on.
On Wednesday, she urged the U.S. to hold an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss China’s early response to the virus. “If ever the was a time to have a world discussion, it would be following this pandemic,” she tweeted.
As soon as the UN opens again, the US should call for an emergency Security Council meeting on China’s involvement and knowledge of the virus. When did they know & decisions made. If ever the was a time to have a world discussion, it would be following this pandemic. #GetAnswers
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 22, 2020
China’s Ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, replied to her tweet, saying, “All the facts are on the table. Epidemics may occur anywhere. The most important thing is to defeat the virus and save lives. China has done its job and is now working hard in helping others. Attempts of scapegoating or stigma go nowhere.”
Haley encouraged Zhang to speak during a Security Council meeting and answer the many questions the U.S. has.
Thank you @ChinaAmbUN. I’m assuming you would have no problem expressing that in a Security Council meeting. Other countries including the US have some questions we would like answered.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 23, 2020
Numerous reports have indicated China intentionally withheld information about coronavirus and its potential to cause a pandemic in the early critical days of the outbreak. China also revised Wuhan’s death toll to a number 50 percent higher than originally reported, suggesting they downplayed the magnitude of the deadly virus. Estimates suggest Wuhan’s death toll is even higher than China admits.
On April 2, Haley called out China’s coronavirus reporting. “China has reported only 82,000 coronavirus cases & 3300 deaths in a nation of 1.5 billion people. This is clearly not accurate. China cares more about its reputation than helping the rest of the world defeat a virus that was started in their country,” she tweeted.
China has reported only 82,000 coronavirus cases & 3300 deaths in a nation of 1.5 billion people.This is clearly not accurate.China cares more about its reputation than helping the rest of the world defeat a virus that was started in their country. #WeWontForget@standamericanow
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 2, 2020
President Trump said the U.S. is investigating China’s role in the origin of the virus, and both he and several top officials have criticized China for its secrecy surrounding the outbreak and its continued refusal to share information with the world.
“We strongly believe that the Chinese Communist Party did not report the outbreak of the new coronavirus in a timely fashion to the World Health Organization,” Pompeo said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Pompeo added that China “didn’t share all of the information it had” and still hasn’t shared virus samples in order for other countries to research how the virus evolved.
China has been using the coronavirus pandemic as a distraction to their advantage, ramping up military activity in the South China Sea, claiming and naming disputed islands and reefs, and putting pressure on Taiwan. Haley has strongly condemned China’s aggression and called on the U.S. to “keep the pressure on the Communist Chinese government when it comes to national security issues, not only on coronavirus.”
