Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s past stance on China has been a matter of dispute on the campaign trail, with her opponents highlighting her support for Chinese investments in the Palmetto State while she was at its helm.
She defended that record in response to a question from CNN host Erin Burnett, saying that “every governor in the country was trying to recruit Chinese companies ten years ago,” and arguing that the U.S. now knows better about China’s intentions than it did then.
“China has never wanted to be like us… They never should have gotten into the World Trade Organization,” Ms. Haley said.
The former United Nations ambassador also said that the Chinese regime has “completely infiltrated” the United States, drawing attention to Chinese land purchases in the U.S. as well as intellectual property theft.
Ms. Haley dwelled on China’s work on “neurostrike” weapons, which she described as “engineered to change the mental capabilities of military commanders and segments of the population.”
“Do you stop talking to them? No, you actually keep your enemies close to you so you know what they’re doing all the time,” she added.
