This is an excerpt from Fox News.
Former United Nations Ambassador and 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley is facing heat, most recently at the last GOP primary debate, for working to recruit a Chinese-owned company to South Carolina while she was governor and giving a warm speech about the company while standing next to a Chinese flag.
“This is rich because when she was governor of South Carolina, she was the number one ranked governor of bringing the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] into her state,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on the debate stage last week. “She wrote a love letter to the Chinese ambassador saying how great a friend China is.”
“There’s also a video of her as governor standing in front of a Chinese flag with a Chinese business saying that she now works for them, talking about this Chinese company. So, she’s been very weak on China.”
The company DeSantis was referencing was Bluestar Silicones, which acquired 20 acres of land in York County, South Carolina after receiving $600,000 in incentives from the county and state, The Herald reported in 2011.
The Herald also reported that Haley was instrumental in bringing the company to South Carolina and got on the phone to encourage the company’s CEO, Pascal Chalvon-Demersay, to come to South Carolina instead of an explored move to North Carolina.
“I don’t lose well,” Haley reportedly said at the time, with The Herald adding that her “charm” was an important aspect of getting the deal done and bringing the jobs to her state.
The Herald reported that the deal came down to more than just dollars but hinged on a commitment from Haley’s state to “making things happen in the future” and Haley reportedly gave Bluestar leadership her personal cell phone number and said, “I want them to call.”
In order to get the move finalized, officials at the South Carolina Economic Development office matched the incentive dollar amount that North Carolina was offering and the county also provided property tax relief that cut the company’s tax bill by around 45%, Charlotte Business Journal reported
In July 2017, Bluestar Silicones was renamed Elkem Silicones which is a subsidiary of China’s state-owned Sinochem Holdings Corp as two Chinese entities were integrated.
In 2020, the State Department deemed Sinochem and several other Chinese entities as owned or controlled by the Chinese military.
On the campaign trail, the GOP presidential candidates have attacked each other on previous ties to China and attempted to position themselves as leaders who will be tough on the communist regime.
Haley has faced heat from her opponents for recruiting Chinese businesses as governor and Never Back Down, the main super PAC supporting DeSantis, went after her on social media recently for saying during a meeting with Bluestar, “I officially work for you.”
As Governor, Nikki Haley stood next to the Chinese flag and told a Chinese company, "I now officially work for you."
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) December 6, 2023
The Chinese company bought 20 acres of land and received financial incentives from the state. pic.twitter.com/gi6B6WGWnZ
In 2016, Haley praised a $300 million investment in Richland County, South Carolina, by the Chinese fiberglass manufacturer China Jushi Co. Ltd., which cited “great support” from the state government for doing so.
“The USA project is a big move for the strategic development of China Jushi. With the dynamic development of the American composite global market, plus the great support from South Carolina state government and Richland County, we believe that this USA project will achieve great success,” China Jushi CEO Zhang Yuqiang said in a statement at the time, according to China Daily USA.
Haley characterized the Chinese company’s investment in South Carolina as a “huge win for our state.”
Critics have pointed to the fact that China Jusi’s facilities are located near a U.S. Army base, raising concerns about a Chinese company’s presence near a military installation.
Haley and her team have defended her record on China multiple times and have said that DeSantis “aggressively recruited Chinese companies to Florida including a sanctioned Chinese military manufacturer.”
On the campaign trail, Haley has spotlighted that she would rescind federal funding for universities that accept money from China, take back land in the U.S. that China’s already purchased, and end “all normal trade relations with” China until it stops flooding the U.S. with fentanyl.
Read the full story here.