I'm sorry, I've dried out to a hard, cynical husk in my old age. Yes, he did say those things, but I still say he didn't care jack about internet freedom, these were convenient rocks to throw at China. Any rock would have sufficed.

And if the administration's actions now don't reflect what was said before, it's just coincidence.

Did he actually take action at any time to defend internet freedom, or did he merely speak?

The administration today, and congress, are opposing internet freedom by their actions. An example for the administration is their defense of the law that says any email on an internet server older than six months is considered abandoned, and they therefore have a right to look at it without a warrant.

The only thing that counts for me is action, and that only lasts until the next hostile act.