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Dwelling to 20 % of the world’s inhabitants, however solely 7 to 9 % of the world’s arable land, China suffers from excessive meals shortages. To fight the disaster, the Chinese language Communist Social gathering (CCP) devised a decades-long technique of buying thousands and thousands of acres of American farmland, livestock, seeds, and meals provide traces from the USA.
In truth, in ten years, Chinese language possession of US farmland has risen from $81 million in 2010 to $1.eight billion in 2020. You do not want a top-secret safety clearance to think about the damaging financial and nationwide safety implications of China sustaining a undue affect. on the US meals provide. Whereas meals safety is not all the time on the prime of conversations about protection and nationwide safety, it ought to be.
Within the coming days, members of Congress will reintroduce the Promotion of Agricultural Security and Safeguards (PASS) Act. The laws prohibits China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from investing in or buying any land or enterprise associated to US agriculture. It additionally provides the Secretary of Agriculture as a everlasting member of the Committee on Overseas Funding in the USA (CFIUS), which evaluations transactions involving international funding within the US.
The PASS Act addresses a significant vulnerability in US meals safety: There are at present no authorized restrictions on international funding in US farmland. Each Republican and Democratic members of Congress shouldn’t hesitate to go this much-needed laws to maintain our meals provide free from international management. In spite of everything, if Congress does not act, China will.
CHINA’S INTEREST IN US AGRICULTURE POSES A SECURITY THREAT, WARNS FEDERAL REPORT
Yearly, China presents a brand new problem to American meals safety. In 2013, with the backing of the CCP, the Chinese language firm WH Group acquired Smithfield Meals, the biggest producer of pork in the USA. The acquisition marked China’s largest buy of a US asset up to now at $four.7 billion. The acquisition included 146,000 acres of US farmland in North Carolina, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, Colorado and Oklahoma. In a compromise, and with little resistance, the Chinese language authorities gained vital affect over the American meals provide infrastructure.
In Texas, a Chinese language billionaire with shut ties to the CCP purchased greater than 140,000 acres of land. In truth, in 2020, he bought a 15,000-acre parcel of land in Val Verde County, which can also be house to Laughlin Air Power Base. With out interference from the US authorities, the Chinese language purchased land instantly subsequent to our major coaching floor for army pilots. Whereas the acquisition brought on a stir amongst then-Rep. Hurd who represents the district, current legislation allowed for the transaction.
A 12 months later, one other Chinese language firm, Fufeng Group, with robust ties to the CCP, purchased land in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for its new moist corn mill. In fact, the land is situated simply 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Power Base, which is house to a few of the United States’ prime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance property. As a authorities report famous, “the situation of the land close to the bottom is especially handy for monitoring air site visitors flows out and in of the bottom, amongst different security-related considerations.”
The American individuals deserve a authorities that can not less than cease our enemies from shopping for our arable land, particularly when that land is in shut proximity to army installations, and management our meals provide. Flagrant disregard for critical nationwide safety considerations marks a betrayal of belief between the federal government and the individuals it’s meant to serve. Congress should go the PASS Act and avert a nationwide safety disaster earlier than it is too late.
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To be clear, it is not simply Congress that has a task to play. We additionally want a Commander in Chief who will make America’s meals and farm safety a precedence. CFIUS, made up of 9 cabinet-level officers appointed by Biden, should enhance the depth of its international funding assessment course of. If Chinese language purchases of strategic farmland do not justify CFIUS intervention, it is exhausting to think about what’s going to.
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And eventually, state governments should additionally step up. Whereas lawmakers in Texas and North Dakota are already taking motion, many different states ought to observe swimsuit. State legislatures should go legal guidelines to develop needed safeguards towards international acquisition of strategic farmland. With cooperation in any respect ranges of presidency, we are able to safe our meals provide for generations.
It does not all the time take covert, clandestine intelligence operations to grasp what our enemies are planning subsequent. Typically threats are proper below our noses. It is about time our elected leaders begin paying consideration.
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