Rick Scott tells Americans to stay out of China, warns of harassment and wrongful detainment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Americans should refrain from traveling to China.

Scott called China America’s “enemy” and warned citizens of the U.S. of potential harassment and wrongful detainment.

“China is our enemy and American citizens should avoid traveling to China,” he said. “The Chinese Communist Party will not hesitate to harass and wrongfully detain Americans.”

Scott’s warning comes as the U.S. recommended Americans “reconsider” traveling to China because of “arbitrary” law enforcement.

“Reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans, and the risk of wrongful detentions,” the U.S. Department of State’s advisory reads.

The Florida senator has been a long-time critic of China and their relation to the U.S., last year urging the Biden administration to crack down on Chinese secret police in the U.S.

“The United States CANNOT allow the Chinese Communist Party to set up shop in our country and monitor Americans,” Scott tweeted. “It’s a matter of national security, and I’m getting to the bottom of it.”

In May, Scott led an effort to nix a Biden administration waiver for Chinese Communist Party-linked solar companies using “slave and child labor.”

“Xi’s regime started sending Chinese-made solar products, made with slave labor, to Southeast Asian countries and claiming they were made in the corresponding nation,” Scott’s office said.

“[The rule] allowed Chinese solar manufacturers to circumvent U.S. tariffs by delivering their products to the U.S. through third-party countries, all to the detriment of American companies and workers,” they said.