Stephen Yates, senior fellow and chair of the America First Policy Institute's (AFPI) China Policy Initiative, said South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will be the keynote speaker at an AFPI event on Wednesday, where she will discuss her efforts to combat Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence via TikTok and agricultural land purchases in South Dakota.
AFPI's Speaker Series is continuing with an event titled "Standing up to the Chinese Communist Party: How to Protect State Sovereignty," according to a press release. Keynote speaker Noem will also participate in a discussion moderated by Yates. The event will take place at AFPI's office in Washington, D.C.
"Gov. Noem will discuss her experience fighting China’s communist party influences in our states," Yates said. "This includes her pioneering action to ban TikTok from state government devices, and our own focus on preventing CCP control of U.S. agricultural land. The governor has proposed a policy to create a South Dakota CFIUS board to review foreign ag land purchases to determine if they pose a security threat.”
Yates said AFPI believes that lawmakers need to stop CCP control of agricultural land in the U.S.
"The strategies and mechanisms will vary by state," he said. "Each state knows best what works for them, and that’s why these ‘laboratories of democracy’ are so vital."
Earlier this month, Noem published a release stating that she is dedicated to protecting South Dakota's agricultural industry, and one of the ways she plans to do so is through an initiative that would prevent entities associated with the CCP from purchasing farmland in the state. Noem wrote that blocking those land purchases will also prevent the CCP from gathering intelligence on sensitive national defense technology.
"Possibly the greatest external threat facing our nation today is the Chinese Communist Party," Noem wrote. "Unfortunately, foreign countries now hold approximately 40 million acres of ag land in the United States – and that number will only increase as evil governments like China step up their game. This hasn’t been much of a problem in South Dakota. At least, not yet. But we must face the fact that our state is a target."
She said Yates visited Pierre recently to emphasize the need for this type of legislation.
"Yates spoke with South Dakota legislators about the important example that our bill is setting for other states across the nation. If we fail here, it will have a negative effect on the whole country," Noem said. "South Dakota is now the only home of the B-21 Bomber. This next generation military asset will be housed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. That’s huge for both our state’s economy and our national security, but it also means that hostile countries like China are going to do whatever they can to get intelligence on that bomber. Just last year we saw a Chinese entity purchase land near an Air Force Base in North Dakota. Though they claimed it was for corn processing, there is not enough corn nearby to justify the facility. So, it appears to be more nefarious."
Noem said this kind of situation cannot happen in South Dakota.
"I’m working with legislators to block nations that hate us from purchasing ag land," she said. "This bill creates a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United State – South Dakota. We’ll rely on national and state security experts and legal counsel to review any purchases, leases and transfers of South Dakota ag land. If purchases are made by a foreign person, company or entity, they will recommend whether the purchase should be approved. And if that purchase comes from a nation that hates America, I will not allow it to go forward."
An AFPI fact sheet states that banning the CCP from purchasing American agricultural land is not a partisan issue; it is a national security issue. American farmland is a strategic asset that enables the U.S. to maintain food security and independence, but China's Belt and Road Initiative includes the goal of controlling global food supply chains. Citing documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the report found that the amount of U.S. farmland owned by Chinese entities rose from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 352,140 acres in 2020. Approximately 352,140 acres is enough for almost 800 American families to farm.
AFPI also released model legislation for 2023 state legislative sessions as an example for how states can enact bans on CCP purchases of American farmland. The sample bill is titled "Liberty for Our Agricultural Land Act" and 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 November, Noem issued an executive order banning the app TikTok from state devices, citing security and privacy risks stemming from the app's parent company, ByteDance, which has ties to the CCP, AP News reported.
“The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform,” Noem said.
Yates, a China expert and former White House official, was appointed in February 2022 to serve as chair of AFPI's China Policy Initiative, according to the AFPI website. Yates has also previously served as an analyst at the National Security Agency, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, president of Radio Free Asia and chairman of the Idaho Republican Party. The China Policy Initiative serves to bring together experts from multiple disciplines to identify the threats the CCP poses to the U.S. and advance policies to address those threats.
