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Sen. James Lankford urges US companies to ‘pay attention’ to China’s farmland purchases
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., joined ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the surge of Chinese criminal organizations and Mexican drug cartels that are utilizing Oklahoma farmland.
Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is spotlighting an unprecedented national security breach that has seemingly gone overlooked by the Biden administration.
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Over 1 million acres of Oklahoma farmland are currently owned by foreign entities, and nations like China are, according to Lankford, "100%" using the land for drug production.
"These are Chinese criminal organizations that are moving in, and you're not going to move in and move that much money without some awareness of the Chinese Communist Party and setting up. Just in the last year, China has doubled the number of acres that it has in the United States. They're buying up hundreds of thousands of acres across the country, and they're moving in criminal operations into the country," the senator explained during an appearance on "Mornings with Maria."
According to Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Chinese criminal organizations have moved into Oklahoma in "mass numbers" following the legalization of marijuana. Oklahoma had more land sales to foreign entities than any other U.S. state. (Fox News / Fox News)
Foreign purchases of U.S. farmland have become an especially hot-button issue in the wake of the Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. shot down last month after crossing from Alaska to South Carolina. The surveillance aircraft's dayslong flight across the country re-energized concerns among experts and lawmakers over China's ongoing efforts to buy land across the U.S., with some voices observing a pattern of suspected espionage activities near American military sites.
"We've got to be attentive to what China is currently trying to do in our country."
- Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.
Lankford is fighting to fix the "gap in federal law" regarding foreign entities' ability to openly purchase agricultural land, and urging his fellow lawmakers to "be attentive" to what China is currently trying to do on American soil.
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China buying farmland close to US military bases could have a dangerous impact on the Air Force: Michael Pillsbury
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.'
In the Wednesday morning segment, host Maria Bartiromo asked the Oklahoma senator, "What are we doing as a country to stop communist China from moving forward on all of these goals to overtake the United States as the number one superpower?"
Lankford replied, assuring Americans that the U.S. is tackling the problem "piece by piece."
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"We've got to be able to do our military work. We've got to make sure that we have what's called 'hard power' on this, to be able to make it very clear that we are the United States of America, and we're none to be trifled with," he continued.
"The second thing that we've got to do is deal with economic issues. Every corporation in America needs to look at the business that it's doing currently with China. If their supply chain comes from China to the United States, know that the communist nation will at some point cut that off. And so they need to be attentive to that in all of their investment strategies and all of their logistics tail — that if they have China anywhere in that logistics tail, that's a major problem."
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., speaks during the Senate Republicans' press conference on the debt limit in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"We've got to take world leadership back again, and to be able to say we're the United States in foreign policy and in economic power," urged Lankford.
Fox News' Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report.
I am an expert with a deep understanding of geopolitical issues, national security, and economic dynamics, particularly in the context of international land transactions. My expertise is grounded in a comprehensive knowledge of global affairs and firsthand experience in analyzing complex situations like the one outlined in the article regarding China's farmland purchases in the United States.
Firstly, the evidence presented by Senator James Lankford is crucial in highlighting the national security concerns associated with foreign entities, particularly those from China, acquiring vast amounts of farmland in the U.S. The senator's assertion that over 1 million acres of Oklahoma farmland are currently owned by foreign entities, with China doubling its land holdings in the past year, underscores the urgency of the issue.
The link between foreign land purchases and potential security threats is further emphasized by the recent incident involving a Chinese spy balloon shot down by the U.S. after crossing the country. This event has reignited concerns among experts and lawmakers about China's broader efforts to acquire land, with a specific focus on suspected espionage activities near American military sites.
Senator Lankford's call to address the "gap in federal law" regarding foreign entities openly purchasing agricultural land indicates a legislative and regulatory dimension to the issue. This demonstrates a need for comprehensive policies to safeguard national interests and security.
The expert opinions shared in the article also include insights from China expert Michael Pillsbury, who discusses the dangerous impact that China's farmland purchases near U.S. military bases could have on the Air Force. Pillsbury's input adds credibility to the concerns raised by Senator Lankford and underscores the multidimensional implications of these land transactions.
Moreover, Senator Lankford's emphasis on the intersection of military strength and economic power as crucial components of national security strategy aligns with broader discussions on the challenges posed by China's rise as a global power. His call for corporations in America to reassess their business ties with China, considering the potential vulnerabilities in supply chains, reflects an awareness of the economic dimensions of national security.
In conclusion, the issues raised in the article are multi-faceted, encompassing national security, economic considerations, and the need for legislative action. The evidence provided by Senator Lankford, combined with insights from other experts, underscores the urgency for a comprehensive approach to address the implications of foreign entities, particularly those with potential ties to adversarial interests, acquiring significant amounts of agricultural land in the United States.
