On the Jan. 3 episode of the Fox News show “America's Newsroom,” Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 hopeful, said: claimed Former Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a 2024 presidential candidate, has the highest approval rating of any governor. Bringing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) investments to the United States
Verdict: Unsubstantiated
Haley ranks first among Republican governors in investment in China when adjusted for gross domestic product (GDP), according to Rhodium Group data. Check Your Fact was unable to determine whether all investments came from companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Fact check:
Haley's campaign recently reported raising $24 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, the most the campaign has raised in any quarter to date. Axios. Ms. Haley recently overtook Ms. DeSantis in national polling averages and came in second place behind the front-runner, former President Donald Trump. the hill report.
During the show, DeSantis claimed that Haley was the number one governor to bring Chinese Communist Party investments into the United States.[Haley] “Although she was unable to live up to her record as governor of South Carolina, she was the number one governor to introduce Chinese Communist Party investment to the state.”
Haley later responded to DeSantis' claims about the “Faulkner Focus” episode: Deny He appealed to Fox News host Harris Faulkner for its legitimacy.
“That's a lie,” Haley said of the claim. “[DeSantis] I'm lying because I'm losing. That's not a real statistic about China. That never happened. ”
Haley and DeSantis' claims require context. Public Citizen tracked Chinese investment in the United States from 2002 to 2016. show That Chinese personSince 2002, financial actors have acquired more than $120 billion in assets in the U.S. economy. ” Public Citizen data on consolidated Chinese direct inward investment (FDI) transactions for the same period show Six cases where FDI occurred specifically in South Carolina.
Investments were made in 2012 ($70 million by Uniscite), 2013 ($218 million by Keer America), 2015 ($500 million by Volvo, $70 million by Shanghai Pret Composites Co. Ltd.) ($72 million from Haier America) and in 2016 ($71 million from Yanfeng Auto Interiors), coinciding with Haley's tenure as governor. Check Your Fact was introduced to the data by Dr. David McDonald, a political science expert at the University of Florida.
Similarly, U.S.-China Investment Monitor data from independent research provider Rhodium Group show Between 2011 and 2017, $2.79 billion was brought into South Carolina from China. Less than $50 million was brought into China from South Carolina during the same period, according to the same data. Data is representative of all industries. Check Your Fact allowed you to narrow down the data for a specific time period by adjusting the slider at the bottom of the webpage to set the range from 2011 to 2017.
Moreover, FDI from the United States in all industries in China fluctuated from 2011 to 2017.
In 2011, US FDI in all Chinese industries was $13.45 billion. In 2012, it was $15.36 billion. In 2013, it was $14.61 billion. and in 2014 it was $14.62 billion. In 2015, US FDI in all Chinese industries decreased to $13.83 billion, but rose to $14 billion in 2016 and rose again to $14.14 billion in 2017.
Between 2011 and 2017, FDI from the United States amounted to $65.85 billion. All of China's industries were created through greenfield investments, or “new projects built from scratch.” According to the same data, less than $50 million in funding was obtained from state-owned investors. From 2011 to 2017, total US FDI into all industries in China was $100.01 billion. However, it is important to note that this data appears to be representative of the entire United States and is not specific to South Carolina. A spokesperson for Rhodium Group asked us to confirm the data.
Looking specifically at South Carolina, the state received between $100 million and $1 billion in contributions from 2000 to 2016, according to Figure 20 on page 32 of one document. 2016 report Rhodium Group's MacDonald, who focuses on Chinese investment in the United States, also directed Check Your Facts on this report.
Data from Rhodium Group's China Investment Tracker was also cited in a November 2023 article on ABC News. a label is attached Haley “ranks No. 1 among Republican governors in investment in China after adjustment.” [gross domestic product or] GDP. ” Using Rhodium data, the outlet claimed that Haley brought in more than $565 million in Chinese investment in 2015. Haley also “oversaw $1.43 billion in Chinese investment in South Carolina.”
Similarly, The Post and Courier report Citing a Department of Commerce report, Haley doubled Chinese investment in South Carolina from $300 million in 2011 to $670 million in 2015. Additionally, the Haley administration “awarded $22.1 million in grants, job development tax credits, or both to 11 Chinese companies,” according to Commerce Department data. (Related article: Nikki Haley claims 1 in 6 American households can't pay their utility bills)
According to the paper, Haley said in July during her 2024 campaign that Chinese investment accounted for “2% of the 85,000 new jobs and $21 billion in new business investments made during her time as South Carolina governor.” ”, he said. New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester.
One example of Haley hiring a Chinese company in South Carolina was working for fiberglass company Chinese Jushi in 2016. fox news report. Haley's agreement with the company will bring 400 new jobs to South Carolina and the company will invest $300 million in the state. Fox News pointed out that the company has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Despite inviting Chinese companies to do business in South Carolina, Haley vowed to eradicate Chinese influence in the United States in a June 2023 op-ed. wall street journal.
Check Your Fact has reached out to Haley and DeSantis' campaigns and various think tanks for comment. If an answer is provided, this article will be updated accordingly.
