Sen. Hawley Aims to Block Chinese Entities From Owning US Farmland With New Bill

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) unveiled a bill on March. 7 revealed a bill to prevent Chinese Communist Party affiliated from owning U.S. farms, joining other lawmakers sounding the alarm.

“This Land is Our Land Act” Companies and individuals associated with the Chinese regime will be prohibited from purchasing or leasing U.S. farm land. Existing owners, however, must sell or forfeit their rights under the bill to avoid being penalized and face penalties.

“No Chinese corporation or individual associated with the CCP should be permitted to own American farmland,” Hawley stated this in a Tuesday statement. “It undermines the integrity of our nation’s food supply chain, it presents national security threats when the land is in close proximity to military installations, and it hurts American farmers.”

Congress and its states have made the bill the latest initiative to bring attention to China’s recent threats over the past weeks and months. This is especially after the publication of A Chinese surveillance balloon program That violated airspaces of many countries.

As part of that program, a Chinese spy balloon made a week-long journey across the country under the watch of Americans and passed over sensitive military assets, drawing condemnation From both chambers.

Hawley’s bill requires Chinese state-backed entities as well as companies that are incorporated on the mainland of China, Hong Kong or Macau, to sell their interests in U.S. farmland in two years. The bill will require them to sign a statement within one year of its entry into effect.

Violators could receive a maximum of five years in prison and a $100 daily fine per acre. Violators could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and a $100 per day fine for each acre they own.

Some lawmakers and officials are taking steps to limit land ownership by Chinese entities.

Chinese companies owned just over half of the 100,000 acres of Missouri agricultural land under foreign ownership in Hawley’s native state. Chinese buyers WH Group and Smithfield Foods (the largest U.S. pork producers) have used most of the land for hog farming.

Missouri House on March 2 supported legislation to ban land purchase from China and the four potential foreign foes.

“We have to protect Missouri sovereignty, and we have to protect Missouri farmers, and I think we need to protect our food supply,” Dean Plocher, Missouri House Speaker.

Recent changes in Virginia have been made by the Senate and House of Representatives. approved Sending versions of a proposal that would prohibit Chinese farmers from buying farmland, to Governor Glenn Youngkin will likely sign it.

North Dakota’s Grand Forks is home to Mayor Brandon Bochenski announced plans After U.S. Air Force warned that the plant could pose a threat to the Grand Forks Air Force Base and the surrounding area, the Chinese Corn Mill Project was cancelled. “significant threat to national security” They could have a significant impact on their business in the region in both the short- and long-term.