China Ban on U.S. Ag Land Purchases

China Ban on U.S. Ag Land Purchases

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. As we evaluate what implications a Chinese balloon might have had for our national security, a House bill could prohibit the Chinese government from buying U.S. agricultural lands.

Representative Dan Newhouse led the introduction of the bill last week based on something that has become a genuine concern in recent years …

NEWHOUSE … “It has grown in concern because of the trends that we’re seeing. Chinese businesses have been purchasing American agricultural assets at a rate of ten times what they had been over the last several years.”

Newhouse says it’s not yet the total acres that have been purchased but the trend that is concerning …

NEWHOUSE … “On top of that, some of these properties are near military installations or power-generating stations, you know, areas of critical, national security implications.”

Concerns, Newhouse says on different fronts …

NEWHOUSE … “For a couple of different reasons, whether they secure a link in our supply chain or, perhaps can compromise our ability to defend ourselves as a country. There’s a growing concern that we need to be aware of exactly what the communist government of China is doing, what their strategy is and look at those threats and make decisions on what we should do to curb them and stop them.”

Newhouse says it’s important to prevent China from gaining a foothold from within our own borders.

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