Sen. Marco Rubio said that the Chinese government is filled with people who are “paranoid” and “control freaks” on Fox News Sunday in a discussion of the situation surrounding Chinese legal rights activist Chen Guangcheng.
“I think this crisis is a reminder of what we’re dealing with in China,” Rubio said. “What we know for a fact, we’re dealing with now are people that are paranoid and are control freaks in a totalitarian system.”
The Chinese government and Chen have a tentative agreement to allow Chen to study in the United States — the latest development in a week-long diplomatic struggle between the U.S. and China. On Meet the Press Sunday, Vice President Biden said the U.S. officials “expect the Chinese to stick to that commitment.”
Rubio defended Romney’s comments earlier this week when he said the handling of the situation with Chen was “a day of shame for the Obama administration.” Rubio disagreed that Romney jumped the gun by criticizing the president before diplomatic negotiations were completed.
