Exclusive Interview with Senior Republican Congressman Diaz-Balart: Any Agreement with Beijing Must Be 'Trust, but Verify'

Voice of America interviewed Republican Representative Mario Díaz-Balart of Florida, discussing the House resolution condemning socialism, the Trump administration's pressure on Cuba, and US policy toward China. He argued that any agreement with China must be enforceable and verifiable, and touched upon artificial intelligence risks, communication channels with China, and US congressional support for Taiwan.

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Full transcript:

Joining us now is Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart of Florida. Thank you, Congressman, for speaking with Voice of America. “My pleasure.”

I would like to start with House Resolution 1490. The bill condemns socialism in all its forms. President Trump made strong remarks about Cuba earlier today at the United Nations General Assembly, calling Cuba a failed state and saying that communism will never come to America, but freedom will come to Cuba. Do you see President Trump’s remarks as consistent with the purpose of the resolution that recently passed the House?

I do. Socialism has been destructive everywhere and every time it has been attempted. The communists themselves have always said that socialism is just the first step toward communism. Whatever name you put on it, those Marxist policies have never worked, except to create misery and scarcity, and ultimately repression.

It has been tried multiple times, in multiple countries and different eras, and always with the same result. That is why we have to guard against it coming to the United States. If anybody wants to know how socialism works—or doesn’t work—they can look at Venezuela and Cuba, and they will say, “That’s not what we’re trying to do.” But without exception, wherever it has been tried, it leads to the same ending: misery, tyranny, scarcity, and poverty.

Do you support the administration taking steps to promote political change in Cuba? What specific actions would you like to see the United States take?

I am convinced that the regime in Havana, that terrorist regime, will not survive the next two years of a Trump administration. I say that because of the policies the administration has been implementing: no more tolerance toward this anti-American regime, which has troops fighting for Putin in Russia and has been a cancer in this hemisphere—in the Western Hemisphere—and a cancer to the United States. It has also been a cancer in Africa.

根据乌克兰情报部门的消息，有古巴特工在乌克兰为普京作战。古巴是一个贫穷、破产的国家，它将获得的每一美元和每一欧元不是用来帮助古巴人民，而是用来伤害本国人民以及世界各地的人民。现任总统不愿接受这一点。你们已经看到了施压政策，不仅是针对那个政权，也是针对那些一直在促进和帮助它的人。这正在产生效果。

关键点在于：那个政权坐拥 180 亿至 200 亿美元的硬通货。然而，古巴人民甚至连水、电或基本生活必需品都没有。这不是因为没钱，而是因为该政权多年来收到并继续收到的每一美元或每一欧元，都被用来镇压本国人民并在世界各地制造伤害。

本届政府不愿接受这一点。他们敏锐地意识到该政权一直在做什么，并且不愿接受。这对古巴人民有好处，对整个半球有好处，最终对美国的国家安全利益也非常有利。

说到古巴和共产主义政府，自然会想到中国。为什么美国对中国采取的方针与对古巴的方针不同？

Every case is different, and how you handle different cases has to be different. Foreign policy is not a one-size-fits-all kind of policy; it cannot be. Foreign policy has to be dictated, first and foremost, by the national security interests of the United States.

In China’s case, whether we like it or not, it has nuclear weapons, a huge military, and a very large economy. Therefore, you cannot ignore that reality. In Cuba’s case, we are talking about a state sponsor of terrorism 90 miles away from the United States. Pretending those differences do not exist is simply not living in reality. The United States dealt differently with the Soviet empire and has dealt differently with different countries. You have to deal with them individually, but here is the key: you have to remember who you are dealing with.

China is huge and powerful, and it has a very large military, but it is not our ally. We always have to be aware of that and treat China with that in mind. In the case of Cuba, Venezuela, or North Korea, you have to know who you are dealing with. Many people have said in the past that Cuba is a small country, so we should not worry about it. But it is a small country with a great deal of influence in the United States’ relationship with the Western Hemisphere. We have to be concerned about what it does.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is coming to Washington tomorrow to meet with President Trump. What would you consider a successful outcome from their meeting?

It is interesting. Again, you have to know who you are dealing with, right? China is a very powerful country, and that has to be recognized. You have to deal with China, whether you like it or not.

I know the president is interested in having conversations about artificial intelligence, which I think is key. AI is here to stay. We could stop AI entirely in the United States, and that would not stop China from continuing to do what it is doing with AI. The question is whether there can be an enforceable agreement with China that we can verify, with controls to make sure AI does not get out of control.

I hear that one thing the United States is considering is having direct contact with China, like we had with the Soviet Union during the Cold War—something like a red phone—in case AI gets out of control, either in China or anywhere else. Lines of communication like that are very positive. But I have to remind everybody: AI is here to stay. Either we will be on the cutting edge of AI, or China will not stop.

Can we do things, including using AI, to help stop China from doing really bad and dangerous things? Any agreement on AI would have to be verifiable. President Reagan used to say about the Soviet Union, “Trust but verify.” When I think of China, it is “distrust and verify.” If we can have an arrangement with China that can be verified, that would be a win.

There has been discussion about the Trump administration’s approach to Taiwan. As chairman of the House Taiwan Caucus, do you see any changes in Taiwan policy? Do you still see bipartisan support from Congress for Taiwan?

I am glad you mentioned and asked about Congress’s attitude toward Taiwan. We have to remember that the special relationship with Taiwan is really based on the relationship between the United States Congress and Taiwan. Under the Carter administration, President Carter, in his wisdom—or lack of wisdom, I would say—basically broke relations with Taiwan and recognized communist China, giving our ally Taiwan merely two hours’ notice.

Congress stepped in, in a bipartisan fashion, and Congress has continued to lead in a very strong bipartisan fashion. That is all the time we have today. I really appreciate your time. Thank you for speaking with Voice of America. “Thank you.”