A Republican legislator is spearheading a long-overdue effort to end state investment in companies controlled by the government of China.

“For too long, Pennsylvania has invested hundreds of millions in government funds to a regime that continues to trample human rights,” state Sen. Doug Mastriano, former Republican nominee for governor, said to explain his initiative.

China’s abuses are well-documented — from the erosion of self-rule and any hope for democracy in Hong Kong, Tibet and Taiwan to persecution of Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uyghurs and political dissidents and decades of fostering a climate of contempt for basic individual rights.

We appreciate that state Treasurer Stacy Garrity has led on this issue, divesting the state’s assets for which the treasurer’s office has oversight from entities controlled by China’s dictatorship in 2022.

“I believe it would be smart to do the same across all Commonwealth funds,” Garrity told a reporter for The Center Square for an article the Williamsport Sun-Gazette last week.

We agree.

Other states like Arkansas and Indiana have also led the way on divesting from China, while Pennsylvania and others have made progress, correctly, on divesting from Russia as well.

These efforts provide a template Pennsylvania can use to further eliminate or at least tighten any loopholes on investments in Chinese-controlled enterprises.

These past efforts have demonstrated that it is not an issue that can be resolved overnight.

But with this sort of protracted timeline an aspect that legislators must clearly recognize, the need to begin the process as soon as possible is only greater.

An opportunity for Pennsylvania and other states to take a stand against tyranny and for America’s principles of liberty is before us.

There is no good reason to wait.

— Altoona Mirror via AP