He’s calling it the This Land is Our Land Act…
As previously reported by The Drill Down last year, China-based food producer Fufeng Group purchased 300 acres in North Dakota to build a corn-milling plant.
A location that’s 20 minutes away from Grand Forks Air Force Base.
The move put China uncomfortably close to the U.S. Air Force base —which also has a space-networking center that’s been characterized as “the backbone of all US military communications across the globe,” according to CNBC.
Now, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is out to stop the CCP-linked individuals and corporations from buying U.S. farmland, full stop.
“No Chinese corporation or individual associated with the CCP should be permitted to own American farmland. It undermines the integrity of our nation’s food supply chain, it presents national security threats when the land is in proximity to military installations, and it hurts American farmers,’ Hawley told Fox News Digital.
According to a Congressional Research Service report, nearly 383,935 acres —or about 1% of all U.S. farmland has been bought up by China in less than 2 years.
“Hawley’s bill would prohibit corporations backed by China from acquiring or leasing agricultural land in the U.S. as well as similar deals by people or groups linked to the ruling Chinese Communist Party,” Fox News, who reviewed Hawley’s bill, reports.
And what becomes of current CCP landowners? The bill addresses them, as well.
“No later than one year after the bill’s passage, Chinese entities with existing leases or stakes of interest would be forced to sign a ‘letter of intent’ to signal that they will part from those assets,” according to Fox News Digital.
“If they don’t divest within two years, they risk facing fines and criminal penalties – as well as the threat of asset forfeiture.”
Hawley signaled his intent to push back on China after the Biden Administration bungled the Beijing spy balloon disaster last month.
“What is abundantly clear after Biden’s Chinese spying debacle is that no Chinese corporation should be permitted to own American farmland. I’m introducing legislation to stop it. Protect American farmers,” Hawley said at the time.
A recent survey from the Trafalgar Group says the majority of Americans want President Joe Biden to get tougher on China; 57.6% of respondents said the government should be “more aggressive” with the Red Threat.
Hawley’s bill is a step in the right direction.
