Cotton on John Cena China Apology: ‘Hollywood Is Deep in China’s Pocket’ — ‘Very Disappointing’

During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) weighed in on actor and WWE superstar John Cena apologizing in Mandarin for calling Taiwan a country while promoting his upcoming film “F9.”

Cotton said Cena’s apology goes to show that “Hollywood is deep in China’s pocket.” He added China’s influence is “almost everywhere in society.”

“It’s very disappointing,” Cotton lamented. “It’s just one more example of how the China lobby in American society continues to try to lobby for China’s interests against America’s interests. You know, Hollywood is deep in China’s pocket. When was the last time you saw a Chinese bad guy in a movie, unlike, say, the Soviets? That’s because Hollywood wants access to the Chinese market and to Chinese money.”

He continued, “But it’s almost everywhere in society … university presidents come and lobby us all the time because they want more full-freight tuition paying Chinese nationals to come to their country. So many companies like hotel companies or airline companies refuse to list Taiwan in their dropdown menu because of Chinese pressure. Just one more disappointing example of how the China lobby bends American policy in China’s favor.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent