Speaking at an event in Charleston, South Carolina on Friday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) laid out his foreign policy towards China, if he became president.

The presidential hopeful outlined a plan that pivoted American focus towards the Pacific, advocating both a strong military stance as well as a soft touch. However, some see some of his arguments about American defense and his posturing as backwards.

The Florida Republican outlined a three-point policy he would implement to counter China's rise in the world while chastising the Obama administration for its "appeasing" approach and "staying silent" on human rights abuses and China's aggressiveness in the Pacific.

"He has failed to respond adequately to the unprecedented breaches of our corporate and government computer networks," Sen. Rubio said. "And he has given our allies reason to doubt our commitment to their security. And the fact that China is growing more assertive by the day suggests that its rulers share the same doubts about American resolve."

Sen. Rubio's plan includes increasing American military strength, protecting the U.S. economy, and advocating for human rights and democracy in China and throughout Asia.

China's presence in East Asian has increased in the last couple of years, culminating with the crises in the East and South China Seas, which Sen. Rubio cites in his speech. "China has intensified its campaign to push America out of Asia." To counter China's increasing military assertiveness Sen. Rubio argues the U.S. military needs revitalization and an increase, which he argues the Obama administration has not done.

Due to sequestration, American spending on the military has short-circuited; however, China's increased this year by 10 percent. Yet, American spending continues to dwarf China's. Sen. Rubio also argued American military capabilities -- the Navy and Army's numbers are at the lowest since before the First and Second World Wars, respectively -- have been diminished. But, the senator failed to address the advancement's made in that time.

Although we have fewer ships, less personnel and less aircraft, new technologies enhance their numbers. Major ship-to-ship combat has not happened since 1945 and now ships are armed with cruise missiles to hit targets well beyond their sightline. Similarly, a few aircraft can do the work of a World War Two-era squadron thanks to smart bombs, missiles, and GPS. Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) increasingly play a role in the modern battlefield, which Sen. Rubio failed to address.

His call to increase the number of Virginia-class submarine production to two a year is moot considering there already is a plan to build two submarines every year for the next five years, according to Congressional Research Service report.

Economics is another area in which Sen. Rubio argued the U.S. has fallen behind and used the economic crises from earlier this week to highlight his argument. China has abused its influence "by bending and breaking the rules of international trade to achieve its own ends."

"It has subsidized exports, devalued currency, restricted imports, and stolen technology on a massive scale," continued Sen. Rubio, highlighting the need for sanctions against Chinese companies that use cyber attacks to steal information. Enhancing cyber defenses, however, is not a unique point. Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, has also made a case to strengthen cyber security.

He also argued in favor of the Trans Pacific Partnership to strengthen both the U.S. economy as well as those of the Asian-Pacific region to counter China's growing influence, a stance President Barack Obama advocates. Yet, he offers no other form of countering China's growing economic influence, depending on the free market, despite China's own manipulations of the economy.

An area the current government has not been strong on is human rights and advocating freedom, Sen. Rubio explained. Both in his speech and in an essay published on Foreign Affairs magazine, the GOP candidate said, as president, he would push China to improve its human rights record.

"I will instruct all U.S. officials meeting with their Chinese counterparts to list political prisoners by name and press for their unconditional release," he said. "I will impose visa bans and asset freezes on Chinese officials who violate human rights."

Sen. Rubio's push to advocate for human rights and democracy goes against Clinton's own call for an emphasis in LGBT and gender equality around the world. The two only agree in stronger Internet freedom.

Nonetheless, the Democratic National Committee believes Sen. Rubio's policies, as well as those of Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), look to the past rather than the future.

"As Democrats are progressing towards a safer, secure and more diplomatic world, Americans can expect to see plenty of the same reckless rhetoric that will only endanger America and our allies while dismantling our relationships around the world," a statement obtained by Latin Post states regarding the candidates' policies.

"Rubio is quick to criticize American weaknesses -- from nuclear negotiations, to relationships with Russia and China -- but fails to present tangible alternatives, and he continues to pick fights with old enemies, and won't stop pushing threats on war with Iran and others," the statement continues and it is correct in the latter assertion. In both his speech as well as the Foreign Affairs article, Sen. Rubio advocates using force if necessary were China not agreeable to U.S. demands.

As the presidential nomination process continues, more candidates on both sides of the political scale will divulge more on their policies. Sen. Rubio was one of the first and continues to push on foreign affairs, an area he appears to keen to make a mark on. Yet, the senator will need more concise plans on how to counter China's growing military and economic influence to stand out from the rest of the GOP line up.

Watch Sen. Rubio's full speech: