The chilling reason why the majority of Americans want a BAN on China’s land grab in the U.S.
Americans want to prevent other countries, such as China, from buying American land and exploiting critical infrastructure, a new exclusive study finds.
The purchase of US farmland by individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party has recently become a concern in Congress, leading to a flurry of proposals.
Repeated instances of foreign entities seizing land — some estimates put the figure at more than 40 million acres — near critical U.S. infrastructure and military installations have only heightened these concerns.
And it’s not just lawmakers who are concerned, but everyday Americans too.
A new poll from CRC Research, conducted for the 85 Fund and shared exclusively with DailyMail.com, finds that nearly two in three Americans are fed up with the land grab and want China and other countries to stop it.
Gotion, a Chinese battery company, purchased acres of land in rural Michigan to build a brand new manufacturing facility near a local National Guard base, sparking concerns among locals in 2023. After a brief hiatus, construction on the plant is now back underway
The poll found that exactly 66 percent of respondents believe that countries relevant to the US should not be able to buy land in the US.
The survey also found that 67 percent of respondents support introducing legislation to prevent foreign adversaries from providing their states with critical infrastructure components.
The poll was conducted among 2,800 likely voters in the crucial states of Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The findings show that voters clearly want state-level protections from foreign influence, State Armor CEO Michael Lucci told DailyMail.com.
His group focuses on helping states defend themselves against foreign influence, particularly that of the Chinese Communist Party.
He cited several reasons why voters want laws that limit the CCP’s power.
Chinese entities own farmland in 29 of the 50 states, totaling 347,000 acres
“Americans are increasingly aware of the danger that foreign adversaries, such as communist China, pose to their countries,” he said.
“The Chinese Communist Party is a tenacious adversary that is willing to do whatever it can to undermine American security, especially during our presidential election.”
“China’s efforts to attack our critical infrastructure, to monopolize and control essential technologies like drones, and to use U.S. investment dollars to fund its growing and aggressive military are all issues high on the agenda of American voters.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), foreign interests own a total of 40 million acres of U.S. farmland and China has bought up nearly 347,000 acres.
Some Chinese land purchases near key U.S. military facilities have lawmakers and government officials concerned.
(L-R) Kelly Cushway, 63, Lori Block, Deborah Dygert, 71, and Jeffrey Thorne, 64, spoke to DailyMail.com about their concerns over the purchase of land for a battery factory in their community by the Chinese-backed company Gotion.
Local residents gather to discuss their concerns over the purchase of land for a battery factory in their community of Big Rapids, Michigan, by the Chinese-backed company Gotion on August 5, 2023.
In 2022, for example, Chinese food producer Fufeng Group bought 300 acres of land in Grand Forks, just a 20-minute drive from Grand Forks Air Force Base, where some of the country’s sensitive drone technology is based.
Air Force Maj. Jeremy Fox wrote a memo that year describing the move as an example of Chinese efforts to establish proximity to sensitive U.S. defense installations.
He argued that the Fufeng site is in the right location to intercept the air base’s communications.
Lawmakers are now working to further limit the ability of China and other adversaries to grab coveted land in the 2024 budget year with the Farm Bill.
Concerns about the CCP’s influence on American land and infrastructure motivated Congresswoman Ashely Hinson (R-Iowa) to propose new regulations in the upcoming Farm Bill to better align with China’s measures.
US President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit
Her reforms to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) would help the government more easily track purchases of U.S. farmland by foreign entities.
The bill is expected to be voted on in the coming weeks, after Congress returns from recess.