Washington, D.C. - The America First Policy Institute today released a report on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) acquisition of U.S. agricultural land and the state legislative strategies to resist it.
The report indicates that CCP holdings of U.S. agricultural land surged from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 352,140 acres in 2020, valued at $1.9 billion.
The report notes that at least 23 state legislatures have introduced 53 bills in 2023 to impede CCP access to American agricultural land in some way, in response to the threat from China and apparent lack of effective protection.
"Securing and dominating world food supply chains is an integral part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which also promotes hoarding computer chips, minerals, and other sensitive commodities," said the report. "The CCP has realized that acquiring new land in the U.S. is key to this dominance, and so it has rapidly built up its American agricultural assets in recent years."
The report further notes that strategies have varied widely, but they reinforce two core America First principles: "strategic decoupling," or the disentangling of our critical supply chains, such as those securing our food, from the CCP and other adversarial nations; and "reciprocity," which dictates that the CCP and anyone tied to it should have no access to any institution or opportunity in America beyond that which we have access to in China.
The report does not seek to endorse any particular bill or formulation but rather to chronicle strategies and tactics that have been attempted, and to provide a menu of potential solutions to lawmakers and other decision-makers.
The full report is available for download on the America First Policy Institute's website.
About the America First Policy Institute: The America First Policy Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policies that put America first. AFPI principles are rooted in individual freedom, national sovereignty, and a strong economy. We believe in the importance of putting American workers and families first, and we are committed to developing policy solutions that promote prosperity for all Americans.
