New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gave the keynote address at the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty Dinner on Friday.
He talked about his fight to cut government spending in his state and how successful domestic leadership can have a positive impact abroad.
The Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty was awarded to Mao Yushi, a market economist and Chinese activist for individual rights and free markets, who co-founded the Unirule Institute of Economics in Beijing with four other economists in 1993. The non-profit research institute promotes using economic research for the advancement of society as a whole
The award is given every other year by the Cato Institute to someone who has made a significant contribution to advancing human freedom.
Mao Yushi stirred controversy last year with an online essay criticizing former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, leading Maoists in the country to call for his arrest.