Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman and appreciate the opportunity to introduce this amendment combating illegal CCP dictates in the South China Sea. Mr. Speaker, on September 1, China's Maritime Security Administration began to demand that foreign ships report specific vessel information before entering the CCP's imagined maritime claims. This information includes the following: the name and number; the satellite telephone number; the position and recent locations; and cargo. Vessels needing to provide this information include submersibles, nuclear vessels, ships carrying radioactive materials, as well as any vessel the CCP deems to be a threat, which is, naturally, purposefully vague. Now, what this is is the Chinese Communist Party literally drew a line in the South China Sea and said: You come across it, even though you are in international waters, you have to do this. No, we don't have to do this. The United States has repeatedly said we reject all maritime claims made by China within the so-called nine-dash line, the 10-dash line, or the 11-dash line, or whatever they want to call it, at any time, as virtually all of those claims are both imagined and illegal. This position was prominently reinforced by former Secretary Pompeo on July 13, 2020. Fortunately, it appears to be the case that the administration agrees with this assessment. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this amendment to push back against China's lawless activity in the South China Sea.”