Silent invasion of America: At least 40 MILLION acres of land – including plots near our military bases – are now owned by foreign nations like China, Russia and Iran – and US Government DOESN’T have data to know full scope of problem

Foreign countries own at least 100 million acres of U.S. farmland, rangelands and forests, which officials said could “impact national security.”

A new watchdog report shows that ownership, in the form of investors and companies, from countries such as China, Russia and Iran has increased by 40 percent since 2016, with some plots of land located near sensitive military facilities.

But the estimates could be the tip of the iceberg, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which did the report, told DailyMail.com that US officials do not “reliably” keep data on landowners.

Kimberly Gianopoulos, director of GAO, told DailyMail.com: “Recent reporting about Chen Tianqiao owning 200,000 hectares of farmland does not appear to be included in the USDA data.”

Tianqiao made his $4 billion fortune from online gaming and spent $85 million to buy 198,000 acres in Oregon in 2015, but only went public this week.

The 50-year-old has held leadership positions in organizations affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is said to be an admirer of Chairman Mao, according to Chinese media reports.

“These investments could have implications for U.S. national security,” the report reads.

“For example, there may be foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land near sensitive military installations.”

The new analysis has appeared on the desks of several Democrats and Republicans, who are outraged by the findings and are demanding that the Biden administration curb purchases “from opponents.”

Democratic Senator Jon Tester said in a statement: “While we continue to learn more about the details of this unfolding situation, it highlights the need for Congress to do more to protect America’s agricultural security and prevent our foreign adversaries from control our country’s food supply and make a profit at the same time. access to land near sensitive military sites.”

A January report from the Congressional Research Service included data from the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA), which established a nationwide system for collecting information regarding foreign ownership of U.S. farmland.

Data shows that 99 countries have a claim on American land and while Canada owns the most, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea also have a claim.

China-based investors and companies own agricultural lands in 28 states, totaling 186,823 hectares.

The most claims are in Texas with 192,000 acres, followed by 49,000 acres in North Carolina and Missouri and Utah with 34,000 acres.

According to the latest USDA figures, Chinese companies own more than $2 billion worth of U.S. farmland, up from just $162 million a decade ago.

AFIDA data also includes 131,000 acres in Texas, which is also owned by a China-based billionaire.

Local real estate agents told DailyMail.com in September that David Frankens, of Lufkin, East Texas, sold the land for an estimated $110 million between 2016 and 2018 to Sun Guangxin, a former captain in the Chinese army.

A report written by former CIA officials, seen last year on DailyMail.com, suggested that the Chinese billionaire could be considered a national security risk by US authorities due to his extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The list includes the Republic of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the Russian Federation and Venezuela under the Maduro regime. The American Farm Bureau Federation.

Combined, investors from the countries own approximately 95,000 hectares of agricultural land.

They are four Cuban-based investors who own 858 acres in the US spread across three states and Puerto Rico.

The Russian Federation consists of four investors who own 73 hectares in four states and the Republic of Korea includes as many as 32 investors who have purchased 4,839 hectares, according to the congressional report.

In total, 22 investors in Iran own 2,463 hectares and the 100 investors in Venezuela own 28,218 hectares.

In 2022, Chinese chemical manufacturing company Fufeng Group purchased 300 acres of farmland in North Dakota – 20 minutes from Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to sensitive military drone technology.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem recently shared a statement about: “Over the past decade, Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland has increased by 5,300 percent.

“The states and Congress must work together to defend our nation against the Chinese Communist Party, especially given the lack of sufficient action from the Biden administration.”

The congressional report found that Canadian investors own the largest share of foreign-owned U.S. farmland, at 12.8 million hectares.

After the North American country, investors from the Netherlands (4.9 million hectares), Italy (2.7 million hectares), the United Kingdom (2.5 million hectares) and Germany (2.3 million hectares) follow.

The total 40.8 million hectares includes agricultural and non-agricultural land.

Forest land accounted for 47 percent of all foreign-owned land, cropland for 29 percent, and pasture and other agricultural land for 22 percent. Non-agricultural land (such as farms and roads) accounted for two percent.