Adam Savit, director of the China Policy Initiative at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), told Federal Newswire that the lack of reciprocity between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) needs to be tackled as it affects almost every aspect of life in America. Savit voiced his concerns following U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland)'s introduction of a bill intended to address imbalances in the relationship between the U.S. and China across various domains such as trade, media, and diplomacy.
"The core guiding principle of a truly America First China policy must be reciprocity. 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. A prime violation of this principle is CCP access to U.S. agricultural land. This bill is important in ordering a comprehensive report to document this imbalance in other arenas, as the lack of reciprocity between the CCP and the U.S. affects nearly every sphere of American life," said Savit.
Savit highlighted that several U.S. states have introduced bills this year with an aim to restrict entities associated with the CCP from purchasing land in America, including agricultural lands or those near military bases or other critical infrastructure, with seven states having successfully passed these bills into law.
A report authored by Savit for AFPI showed that from 2010-2020, there was a significant increase in farmland ownership by entities associated with CCP — from 13,720 acres to 352,140 acres valued at approximately $1.9 billion, according to data obtained from USDA reports. "Securing and dominating world food supply chains is an integral part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative," Savit stated in his report while adding that acquiring land on American soil forms a crucial part of Beijing's strategy.
The True Reciprocity Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill initiated by Sullivan and Van Hollen in late Oct., is aimed at directing federal departments and agencies to identify areas of imbalance in United States-China relations and devise a strategy to rectify them.
The proposed legislation defines the relationship between U.S. and China as "unacceptably nonreciprocal," pointing out avenues that give the CCP access to influence within America, which are absent for Americans in China. It specifically mentions the restrictions imposed on American journalists and diplomats, CCP's influence in American schools through initiatives like the Confucius Institutes, along with the "arbitrary" detention of U.S. citizens on Chinese soil as instances reflecting the absence of reciprocity.
According to the bill, reciprocity — defined as "the mutual and equitable exchange of privileges between governments, countries, businesses or individuals" — should be prioritized in U.S.'s policy towards its relationship with China.
