The sign the woman on Palm Beach was holding on says the Chinese government stole her property. She was one of several Chinese protesters holding up signs Wednesday to send a message the day before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for a meeting with President Trump in Palm Beach County.
Many more protesters from different groups and with different agendas are expected on Thursday.
“China is bullying the whole region right now and there needs to be a policy to stop them,” said Huy Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese American Community Association of South Florida.
The group is planning to protest and they’re expecting over 500 people from across the country to attend their protest from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Flagler Dr.
“We want to make sure they (Chinese leaders) hear our voice and that the President hears our voice,” Nguyen said.
Suddenly, international conflicts have made it to the stage of Palm Beach County.
“We’re seeing a whole new level of attention on what’s going on with world leaders here in Palm Beach County,” said Brian Crowley, WPTV political analyst.
Crowley said the Chinese President could be the most controversial world leader to visit the region yet.
“Right now, there’s a lot of concern what the Chinese are doing particularly in the South China Sea,” Crowley said.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said his office is well prepared.
“We’ve done our homework,” Bradshaw said. “We’ve talked with other jurisdictions that have had the President of China there. You’ve got a lot of different fractions there.”
Bradshaw said it’s the largest security undertaking in the area since he’s been in office and compared the staffing levels to those during natural disasters.
