Statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that the amount of farmland owned by Chinese nationals in the United States reached 338,000 acres in 2020.
According to statistics obtained by the WSJ from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Chinese people have purchased an extra 75,000 acres of U.S. farmland since 2010. According to the WSJ, ownership of U.S. farmland by the Chinese is under scrutiny because U.S. government officials are concerned the Chinese may exploit the land for military and spy-related purposes.
On Friday, South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem advised that South Dakota was the exclusive home of the “B-21 Bomber.” Noem added that this was significant for both the economics of South Dakota and national security. Still, it also means that hostile nations like China will do whatever it takes to obtain intelligence about that bomber, including purchasing farmland by the bomber’s location.
The previous year, a company from China purchased land near the Air Force base in North Dakota, according to Noem. Although the Chinese company claimed it was for maize processing, there is insufficient corn in the vicinity to support the operation. Therefore, it looks to be more “nefarious.”
The WSJ stated that the Chinese business Fufeng Group acquired 370 acres of farmland near Grand Forks, North Dakota, to construct a $700 million corn mill. The company promised the creation of employment and an increase in tax income.
According to a January WSJ report, Mayor Brandon Bochenski changed his mind about the corn mill after receiving a letter from the Air Force. Fufeng’s project was identified as a counterintelligence threat because of its proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base. Since then, Grand Forks has rejected Fufeng construction licenses.
Similarly, in June 2022, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, which prohibits Texas corporations from entering into “critical infrastructure”-related contracts with Chinese-owned enterprises. According to Forbes, Abbot’s bill developed when the corporation of an accused former Chinese military official acquired a wind farm in Val Verde County near Laughlin Air Force Base. According to the WSJ, half of all agricultural property held by Chinese nationals in the United States is situated in Texas.
In September of 2022, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 22-216, which banned government entities from obtaining technology products and services from companies that are owned by, controlled by, or domiciled in foreign countries of concern, including China, Cuba, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela.
Additionally, the U.S. government has discovered Chinese espionage threats emerging from American metropolitan areas. An FBI raid on the Manhattan headquarters of America Changle Association, an NYC social group with ties to Chinese espionage, halted the group’s operations in the autumn of 2022. Changle was shut down many months after the DCNF (Daily Caller News Foundation) discovered that, during a 2021 video conference, Chinese officials named Changle’s previous chairman as having allegedly cooperated with a Chinese intelligence agency.
CNN stated that U.S. officials also rejected a 2017 Chinese government wanted to construct a garden at the National Arboretum worth $100 million. Authorities found that the project’s intended position constituted a threat to surveillance, considering that the National Arboretum is situated in one of the highest locations in the city.
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