Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) visited Hong Kong Saturday, standing in solidarity with the protesters fighting against for greater control of their city.

Sen. Cruz traveled to Hong Kong Saturday and made statements condemning China’s handling of pro-democracy protests, calling the Chinese government a “dictatorship.”

On Face the Nation, Sen. Cruz said that he finds it “inspiring” to see millions of Hong Kongers fighting for freedom.

The Texas senator said:

I’ll tell you what’s happening here in Hong Kong is inspiring. We’ve seen over two million people come to the streets standing up for freedom, standing up for democracy, and standing up against the oppression of the Chinese Communist regime. I think it is very much in the United States’ interests to support the people of Hong Kong. I’m here, I’m dressed in all black standing in solidarity with the protesters.

On @FaceTheNation: What's happening in Hong Kong is inspiring. We've seen over 2 million people standing up for freedom, for democracy & standing up against the oppression of the Chinese communist regime. It is very much in America’s interests to support freedom fighters in HK. pic.twitter.com/ZfvrbpWtk8 — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) October 13, 2019

“President Xi [Jinping] is terrified of millions of people in Hong Kong, but even more than that, millions of people in China yearning to live free,” he added.

“President” is one of over ten titles that Xi Jinping holds, and among the least powerful. He exercises authoritarian control over China as chairman of the Communist Party and commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Dallas News US Sen. Ted Cruz rips Beijing 'dictatorship' during Hong Kong visit – CNN https://t.co/PH1k7xptrQ pic.twitter.com/Lt7EaK18tb — Dallas NewsChannel (@Dallas_NC) October 12, 2019

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam scrapped a meeting with Sen. Cruz amidst Hong Kong’s protests. The Texas senator revealed that Lam’s office reportedly asked the senator to meet in secret and that Cruz refrain from speaking with the media about the meeting.

Cruz said that Lam’s request displays a lack of understanding of the meaning of free speech.

“She seems to misunderstand how free speech operates, and also how freedom of the press operates,” Sen. Cruz said.

“Ms. Lam’s canceling the meeting is not a sign of strength. It’s a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of fear of the protesters in the streets of Hong Kong,” Cruz said.

Sen. Cruz said this week that his tour throughout the Indo-Pacific will discuss how to most “effectively stand up to this growing geopolitical threat coming from increasing Chinese aggressiveness.”

“China is getting more and more aggressive militarily. They are investing billions in modernizing their military. They are investing massive amounts of money engaging in economic coercion,” he added.

Sen. Cruz invited National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will serve as part of a series of hearings into American companies bowing to government and economic pressure from the Chinese government. Cruz has questioned China’s influence on American influence for years. In 2017, Sens. Cruz and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to reject Chinese pressure to remove virtual private network (VPN) apps from its App Store in China, which would allow citizens to circumvent the Chinese censorship firewall.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), another fierce critic of China, visited Hong Kong over the weekend. In a message to Hong Kong protesters, he compared their protests to East Germany’s struggle for freedom against the Soviet Union.

“Sometimes, the fate of one city defines the challenge of a whole generation. Fifty years ago it was Berlin, today it’s Hong Kong,” Sen. Hawley said.

Sen. Hawley visits Hong Kong to gather facts on pro-democracy movement