(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) State-level representatives of North Carolina unanimously passed legislation preventing China, along with other enemy nations and enterprises, from purchasing farmland and land near military bases.
The authors of the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act argued that state officials must guard farmland from “the potential of adversarial foreign government control,” which would ensure “safe, abundant and affordable suppl[ies] of food” for residents of the state, the Daily Wire reported.
China, Russia, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela were all banned from purchasing or leasing land within 25 miles of military installations, along with any land designated to farming.
“As someone who grew up on a family farm, preserving North Carolina’s farmland is a top priority,” North Carolina State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican and the primary bill sponsor for the act, said. “Our state’s agricultural land is one of our most important assets and it is common sense that we protect it from foreign governments that do not have America’s best interests in mind.”
The state of North Carolina has 518,000 acres of farmland owned by foreign countries.
Chinese interests own less than 1% of foreign land in the United States. Canada purchased an estimated 32% of land owned by foreigners. Other allies, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, also own a large percentage of American land.
South Dakota took similar measures against possible Chinese interference in 2022. Lawmakers cited specific concerns about the land surrounding Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Other areas of concern listed in the N.C. bill included Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune and Symour Johnson Air Force Base.
Chinese company Fufeng Group purchased land near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota in 2022, dredging up concerns of information leaks regarding the nation’s secure drone technology.
China’s efforts to spy on the United States recently became more brazen as tensions between the two nations continue to grow.
“Look, spy balloons, police stations, fentanyl: The Chinese think they can do whatever they want in our territory, and if we don’t stop them now, this is going to get out of control,” said Gatestone Institute fellow Gordon Chang, who slammed the Biden administration for their lack of action on the matter.
