Hudson Institute China expert Michael Pillsbury weighs in on China’s surveillance mission and their decision to increasingly purchase farmland close to U.S. military bases on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
Concerns are growing over China's effort to buy up American farmland near U.S. military bases.
China expert Michael Pillsbury issued an urgent warning on "Mornings with Maria," for legal action to be taken against the Chinese Communist Party as concerns for national security swell.
"It's a very important subject and it's a good example of a larger problem," he told host Maria Bartiromo on Monday.
"There needs to be a law passed by both houses, signed by the president monitoring this or saying it cannot be done if it's so many hundreds of miles away from an Air Force base. But there's no action by Congress," he continued.
According to the USDA, Chinese landowners control approximately 383,000 acres of U.S. farmland – and their investments are growing, FOX Business' Lydia Hu reported on Monday. Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland jumped more than 20-fold in a decade from $81 million in 2010 to nearly $1.9 billion in 2021.
Hu pointed out that the Fufeng Group, a China-based chemical manufacturing company, bought 300 acres of land for a corn mill in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The location is only 12 miles away from the Grand Forks Air Base, home to U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance units and top-secret drone technology.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD, is one of a group of lawmakers sounding the alarm over the matter. He is leading a bipartisan effort to prevent China and other foreign adversaries from being able to buy into land or businesses involved in U.S. agriculture.
FOX Business' Lydia Hu joined ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the nation’s growing concern for national security as China continues to purchase farmland close to U.S. military bases.
"China, the Chinese Communist Party, has increased their holdings of farmland outside of China by 1,000% in the last few years… They own 1,300 egg processing facilities outside of China at a value of $35 billion. Food security is national security," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD, said on "The Evening Edit" Friday.
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Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force sent a letter to North Dakota Senator John Hoeven stating: "The proposed project presents a significant threat to national security with both near-and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area."
China owns more than 380 acres of U.S. farmland. (iStock / iStock)
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Pillsbury reacted to the "chilling" message, saying: "A letter doesn't stop anything."
"That's not the way policy is made… There has to be legal action taken. It has become a crime, for example, to do some of the things that are being done to help China in our country. There's no sign that's happening at all. That's what concerns me the most," he stressed.
Former Trump deputy national security adviser KT McFarland also called for regulations over the issue that she believes is being solved at "our expense."
Former Trump Deputy National Security Adviser KT McFarland reacts to China owning over 380,000 acres of farmland close by U.S. military bases on ‘Varney & Co.’
"There should be national legislation. There should be state legislation. They should not be allowed to scoop up American farmland, especially near critical military facilities," McFarland said on "Varney & Co.," Monday.
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FAQs
Canadian investors lead this pack, by a long shot, with nearly 9.4 million acres of U.S. land — more acreage than 44 of the top 50 foreign landowners combined, according to the report.
What Chinese company bought land near military base? ›
Recent reporting shows that a CCP-affiliated corporation purchased farmland in North Dakota that is just a stone's throw from high-capability military bases. The purchase raises the possibility that the Chinese government could use the farmland as a launching pad for espionage under the guise of operating a business.
Can China buy land in the US? ›
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has no business purchasing land near military bases or for agricultural purposes – or for any other reason,” said Rep. Bill Johnson. “It is a critical matter of national security that we prevent the CCP from buying large swaths of American land.
What is the prohibition of agricultural land for the People's Republic of China Act? ›
The Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People's Republic of China Act would expand this prohibition nationwide and help prevent restrictions from being circumvented by Chinese investors buying large U.S. corporations that own agricultural land.
How much American real estate is owned by China? ›
Chinese buyers comprise one of the largest groups of foreign buyers of residential property in the United States. Historically, between 20,000 and 40,000 residential properties were bought by Chinese nationals, but in 2022, both the sales volume and percentage of all foreign-bought properties declined.
What percent of U.S. land is owned by foreigners? ›
In terms of percentages, as shown in Table 3, foreign entities owned 2 percent of U.S. agricultural land in 2011, and in 2021, foreign entities owned 3.1 percent of this land.
What military base has the most land? ›
Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the U.S., and it's also the largest base for the U.S. Army.
What companies China owns in America? ›
Keep reading to see which U.S. giants are backed by foreign conglomerates.
- AMC. Popular cinema company AMC, short for American Multi-Cinema, has been around for over a century and is headquartered in Leawood, KS. ...
- General Motors. ...
- Spotify. ...
- Snapchat. ...
- Hilton Hotels. ...
- General Electric Appliance Division. ...
- 49 Comments.
Jurisdictional definition. Military bases within the United States are considered federal property and are subject to federal law. Civilians (such as family members of military officers) living on military bases are generally subject to the civil and criminal laws of the states where the bases are located.
How much does the US owe China? ›
Top Foreign Holders of U.S. Debt
| Rank | Country | U.S. Treasury Holdings |
|---|
| 1 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $1,076B |
| 2 | 🇨🇳 China | $867B |
| 3 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $655B |
| 4 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | $354B |
6 more rowsMar 24, 2023
Chinese entities owned 42,596 acres of Missouri agricultural land as of 2021 — just a little under half of the roughly 100,000 agricultural acres owned by all foreign entities, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
Are US citizens allowed to own property in China? ›
The answer is yes, foreigners are allowed to purchase property in China! The essential requirement is that you have studied or worked in China for at least one year on a residence permit. Foreigners are allowed to only own one residential property for dwelling purposes.
Are Chinese citizens allowed to own land? ›
Because China is a socialist country, all land is either subject to government ownership or collective ownership. In principle, municipal land is subject to government ownership and land outside cities is subject to collective ownership. However, one can obtain the right to use the land.
What six states have laws banning foreign ownership of farmland? ›
Six states-Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma-have laws banning foreign ownership of agricultural land,1 with Iowa having the most restrictive limitation on nonresident alien ownership of any state in the United States.
Are you allowed to own land in China? ›
A.
According to the Constitution and the land laws, Chinese individuals cannot privately own land and natural resources. The Constitution provides that land in urban areas must be owned by the state, whereas land in rural and suburban areas must be owned by the state or by local collectives.
What foreign countries own land in the US? ›
Countries Who Own The Most Acres U.S. Agricultural Land
- Canada (12,845,000 acres)
- Netherlands (4,875,000)
- Italy (2,703,000)
- United Kingdom (2,538,000)
- Germany (2,269,000)
- Portugal (1,483,000)
- France (1,316,000)
- Denmark (856,000)
If the Federal Reserve's holdings are excluded, foreigners own nearly 60 percent of outstanding marketable treasuries. Foreigners own less-significant portions of other asset markets. Their holdings of equities, though large in dollar terms, are small relative to the size of the equity market.
How much land in Texas is owned by foreign countries? ›
Foreign entities own more land in Texas than any other state, with more than 4.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That amounts to just about 3% of all the privately-held land in the state.
How much of the US land is privately owned? ›
Private individuals and corporations own about 60 percent of U.S. land while Federal, State, and local governments own the rest.
How much of US land is federally owned? ›
The federal government owns about 640 million acres (2.6 million km2) of land in the United States, about 28% of the total land area of 2.27 billion acres (9.2 million km2).
U.S. federal land is land owned by the government of the United States. The United States federal government owns between a quarter and a third of the total land in the United States, approximately six hundred forty million acres of it. The total land area of the United States is just over 2.4 billion acres.
