Escalating a long-running and long-growing feud with China, dozens of House Republicans recently signed onto legislation that would block members of or businesses owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing land next to federal property.
While the No American Land for the Chinese Communist Party Act (H.R. 8693) on the surface wants to keep China far from U.S. military installations, the method of approach would keep Chinese agents and businesses from owning land in significant portions of the country at all. For co-sponsors U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and committee member U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), that’s the stated price of safety.
“There is no world in which the Chinese Communist Party would allow Americans to buy vast swaths of farmland next to its military bases,” Moolenaar said. “We need to protect our farmland and ensure our largest adversary cannot own land near sensitive U.S. military bases.”
In all, the bill gained 38 cosponsors. Together, they indicated that this was a move to protect not only military bases, but national labs and land with critical resources as well.
“The Chinese Communist Party is at our doorstep, and we best not let them in,” Newhouse said. “I have been closely watching the rise in cases of the CCP’s attempts at undermining our institutions. From spying on sensitive national security sites to buying up American farmland, it is clear we are vulnerable to their malicious efforts.”
H.R. 8693 was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.