RIGHT SPEAK: Marco Rubio Speech Talks Tough on China in a Speech at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea (Full Speech 01-24-14)

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) stressed the importance of making our allies in Asia know that the United States has not turned its back on them in the face of the Chinese in a foreign policy speech in South Korea on Friday.

Rubio’s speech at the Asan Institute comes after a week of travel throughout the region.

Rubio said that China’s failure to move toward democratic reform has been a disappointment in the region.

“Many believed that, over time, the Chinese government would realize that the true path to prosperity, including real opportunity for its citizens, would occur only in tandem with meaningful democratic reforms,” said Rubio. “Now, decades later, we are still waiting for liberty in both China and its ally, North Korea, even as those two countries have taken different paths economically.”

Rubio argued that the United States has a stake in ensuring that China reverses its course.

“We need China to become a responsible stakeholder in the international system,” said Rubio. “We therefore do not seek to ‘contain’ China, but rather to ensure that as it gains in military and economic power, its rise will be peaceful.”

“Some ask why it matters how China develops or how it treats its people or neighbors, as long as our trade and our commerce isn’t impacted. … When liberty is denied and economic desperation take root, it ultimately affects us at home as well. It causes instability, which leads to economic threats, human rights abuses, and security concerns that directly concern the interests of the American people.”