Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a House bill that seeks to ban the acquisition of any public or private agricultural land in the United States by individuals with ties to the Chinese government.
The Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act would bar individuals with affiliations to the Chinese government from participating in any U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, except those related to food safety inspections, according to a Feb. 2 news release.
“We don’t want to wake up in 10 years and find out that the #CCP has a stronghold on one of the most vital links in our supply chain — our food supply,” Newhouse said in an April 27 Twitter post. “Preventing the CCP from purchasing our agricultural land is crucial, and I remain supportive of Congressional action to stop it.”
The bill has gained more than 45 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, the release reported. Members of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the CCP, including Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla.; and Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, were joined by other members of Congress as co-sponsors.
In 2013, Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative, also referred to as Debt Trap Diplomacy, according to the release. The project resulted in substantial investment in the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas over the past decade.
“The CCP’s agenda to dramatically increase its ownership of American agricultural land is an immediate concern, and one we will deal with directly on the Select Committee on China,” Johnson said in the release. “We cannot allow our adversary to have control over our food supply and supply chain. This is a national security threat that cannot be ignored, and I am grateful for Rep. Newhouse’s leadership on this issue.”
