U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) says the Chinese government has malign intentions for owning American farmland and should be banned from buying any more.
“Communist China’s rapid infiltration into our agricultural industry is Beijing’s latest venture to exploit the United States," Sen. Blackburn told USDA Newswire. "As their grip tightens, the threat to our food supply and national security increases. American farmland should be for American farmers — period.”
A fact sheet recently released by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) states America’s farmland and agricultural industry enable the U.S. to maintain food security and independence. AFPI cites documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that show Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land increased from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 352,140 acres in 2020. AFPI states the increase in China-owned acreage during that time is enough for nearly 800 American families to farm, based on an average family farm of 445 acres, according to AFPI.
Currently, 14 states have laws prohibiting the CCP from owning U.S. farmland. Those states are Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, according to AFPI.
AFPI called banning the CCP from purchasing American agricultural land a national security issue and offered model legislation for 2023 state legislative sessions as an example of how states can enact bans on CCP purchases of American farmland.
The sample bill, "Liberty for Our Agricultural Land Act," draws partially on South Carolina's H 4845. The model legislation states "Neither the CCP, its members, nor any company or development owned or controlled by a company that is owned, in whole or in part, by, or is a subsidiary of the People’s Republic of China or the CCP or whose principal place of business is located within the People’s Republic of China may own, in whole or in part, or lease, possess, or exercise any control over any agricultural land in this state. Furthermore, a deed for any such real estate conveyance in which the CCP or its members are the recipients is deemed invalid."
In 2020, the China Academy of Social Sciences Rural Development Institute issued a report stating that by the end of 2025, China would experience a grain shortfall of approximately 25 million metric tons (MMT), the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission reported in its May 26 report "China’s Interests in U.S. Agriculture: Augmenting Food Security through Investment Abroad."
"Diminishing arable land, shifting demographics, and natural disasters compound these trends and present food security challenges to China’s leaders," the commission states in its report.
Expanding domestic farming and new agricultural technology in China is not solving the problem, leaving the country to look internationally, which is why the U.S. has been targeted.
While China had 294 million acres of arable land in 2018 and a population of 1.4 billion as of 2020, the U.S. has more than 375 million acres of arable land and a population of 329.5 million.
When Blackburn was elected in 2018, she became the first woman to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, according to her website. She is the Ranking Member on the Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security Subcommittee, and also serves on the Armed Services, Commerce, Science & Transportation, Veteran Affairs, and Judiciary Committees. Prior to serving in the Senate, Blackburn represented Tennessee's 7th Congressional District.
