China-owned company expanded under DeSantis near Florida military base

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who has touted his tough stance toward China, stayed quiet when a subsidiary of a US-sanctioned Chinese company expanded fewer than 15 miles away from a Florida military base during his time as the state's governor. On the campaign trail, the 45-year-old DeSantis has said he would "reorient" US foreign policy to prioritize the Indo-Pacific region and signed legislation preventing Chinese Communist Party affiliates from purchasing land near military bases. Cirrus Aircraft — a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC) of China — opened two new locations in central Florida in 2022. One of those…