Key Points
- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is blocking Biden nominee Nicolas Burns for Ambassador to China.
- Rubio says Burns fails to understand the threat that China poses to the U.S..
- Burns has millions of dollars tied up in Chinese business deals that create conflicts.
Career diplomat Nicolas Burns was expected to sail through the confirmation process with overwhelming bipartisan support – even perennial holdout Ted Cruz (R-TX) was set to wave Burns through. But Ted’s fellow Senator across the Gulf is no fan of the Biden nominee.
According to Axios, “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced Tuesday he had placed a hold on President Biden’s nominee for ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, over concerns about Burns’ business relationships in China.”
Rubio acknowledges Burns’ qualifications but can’t ignore his questionable ties with China and how they may affect his decision making as it relates to America’s greatest enemy.
“Nicholas Burns has a long career in public service, but it is a career defined by the failure to understand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Rubio said. “In fact, Burns displayed no remorse or concern about his current business relationships with nationless corporations operating in China.”
Rubio is referencing Burns’ work with the Cohen Group; an advisor for defense contractors in Asia, and American corporations seeking opportunities in China. Rubio is also likely aware of Burns’ seat on the board of Entegris; a multi-billion dollar microchip company.
Those are red flags for Rubio – and they should be.
According to the American Prospect, “Burns holds almost $5 million in the company’s stock…Entegris recently committed $200 million to build a microchip factory in Taiwan, and it has other facilities in China and across Asia.
“In the meantime, a global shortage of microchips is slowing down the production of cars and other items that require the technology. Burns’s financial stake in the very bones of what makes digital products operate could undermine his role as Biden’s envoy in addressing this significant arena of competition with China,” the Prospect adds.
And they are correct. This is another huge Biden-China conflict of interest.
“Burns is exactly the type of nominee I expect from President Biden given this administration’s weak approach toward China, including lobbying against my bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” Rubio says.
Burns paid lip service to the idea of being hard on China during his Senate Confirmation Hearing last month saying China is “the greatest threat to the security of our country and the democratic world.”
Right, Nick. So why is your resume black, white and red all over? Why are you pumping billions of dollars into China’s economy?
