The United States must do everything it can to support Australia after China's threat to target its exports after its call for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday. He added that the U.S. should also assist other countries facing issues with a "very, very aggressive" Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"It is not just Australia," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "Obviously they have been forward leading on this and we need to do everything we can to be supportive of them."
India has also had a number of border skirmishes with China in the last couple of weeks, said Rubio, and other countries including New Zealand have also faced problems with China. "I do think it is important to invest in that four-country alliance, with Japan, with India, and with Australia included in that mix."
The Trump administration is standing up to Xi, said Rubio, but still, China has "gotten away" with aggression for the better part of the decade, including with China's effort to take over national security legislation in Hong Kong.
Also on Tuesday, Rubio commented on states' efforts to reopen businesses and services, but said he does not agree that the federal government should be "bailing out" states with preexisting debt obligations.
"You know you need police officers, you need sanitation workers, you need the basic services of government and that’s been hurt by the downturn," said Rubio. "We don’t want any of these cities laying off police officers. That’s one thing. You separate that from, however, from a city or state, for that matter, that made bad decisions over the last 10 or 15 years ... that is not something the federal government should be bailing out.”
Meanwhile, he said he does think there should be more done about helping small businesses restart operations.
"That is why I think it has been smart to take a pause, see how this thing is evolving and developing, so that whatever we come up with works when it finally becomes law," Rubio said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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