Ron DeSantis’ war on China’s influence in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law a series of bills that would crack down on China, bar the country from buying land in the state, ban universities from accepting funding from China and ban Tiktok on government-issued devices.

“Florida really leads the nation in what we do to stop the influence of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said at a signing event in Hernando County.

“Today, Florida is making it very clear: we don’t want the CCP in the Sunshine State. We want to keep this as the Free State of Florida. And that’s exactly what these bills are,” he noted.

DeSantis’ tough stance stems from speculation that he will soon announce a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

The new laws prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing land in Florida unless they are also U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

DeSantis accused China of a “joint effort to acquire farmland in the United States,” including in Florida, and argued that Beijing is going after the food supply.

‘Our food security is also national security. And so we don’t want the CCP to be in charge of food production,” he said.

In addition, Chinese citizens cannot purchase land within 10 miles of any military installation or any form of critical infrastructure in the state.

Citizens of Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela are also unable to purchase land near military bases and critical infrastructure such as airports. But only residents of China are not allowed to own land anywhere in Florida.

China owned 352,140 acres of U.S. land in 2020, according to the Department of Agriculture, which is about 1 percent of foreign-owned land. Canada is the largest foreign investor in American land, owning 12.4 million hectares.

About 100 Chinese H-1B visa holders, including college professors and businessmen, testified against the bill. Many of them work in Florida and noticed that they would not be able to buy a house.

The new laws also prohibit the use of TikTok and other Chinese apps on school and government servers and prevent state universities from accepting funding from China.

That ban includes student and teacher exchange programs and dual-degree programs. The ban can be lifted by the Board of Governors of the university system.

“We truly recognize the threat and we are taking action,” DeSantis said.

It is speculated that he will announce a bid for the presidency in the coming months. He recently completed a book tour of key states that voted early, which many saw as a prelude to a presidential campaign.

The governor of Florida also just returned from a trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel and Britain, designed to brush up on his foreign policy credentials.

During that trip, DeSantis portrayed China as another Cold War and pushed for a US military response — a vision he repeated Monday.

“Our economy is dependent on China and that has given them more influence and more power. So we must assert our economic sovereignty. Part of that is bringing supply chains home and getting more stuff here as we build our military, you know, I know this president won’t do it, but we have to do it,” he said.