Adam Savit, director of the China Policy Initiative at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), said state lawmakers should support the Ohio Property Protection Act to prevent against foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from buying property in the U.S. and using it for surveillance purposes. Savit shared his statement during testimony to the Ohio State Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee.
"If left open to CCP control, our real property provides nearly limitless bases for 'permanent spy balloons' near our most vulnerable installations," said Savit. "I strongly encourage you to support SB 226. We must provide effective protection for our communities before a serious and completely preventable incident takes place."
The Ohio Property Protection act would restrict purchases of real property in Ohio within 25 miles of critical infrastructure by entities and individuals associated with "foreign adversary" countries, according to the bill.
Savit said the legislation is "vital" to ensuring the security of Ohio residents and can serve as an example for "dozens of states attempting to tackle" the issue of land purchases by foreign entities, according to his testimony. He said several aspects of the bill are commendable, including its precise targeting of foreign adversary nations that would be determined by Ohio's secretary of state. The bill designates "protected property" as agricultural land and other property within a 25-mile radius of military installations and infrastructure including gas pipelines, power plants, ports, and chemical facilities. "The 25-mile proximity provision is crucial to deny CCP agents the ability to sabotage or surveil these protected properties," Savit said.
Multiple other states have been moving forward with similar initiatives to prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing land near critical infrastructure, Savit said in his testimony. The Kansas House passed similar legislation in April, while in January, the governor of Missouri implemented an executive order with similar provisions. In March, Indiana lawmakers established a "proximity ban" around its military installations, preventing the CCP-linked food manufacturer FuFeng from potentially acquiring land near a railroad junction. Savit said it is vital for states to establish these restrictions in the event that "federal safeguards fail in their duty to protect American citizens." He provided two examples of instances in which state and local efforts blocked federally approved land acquisitions by CCP-linked companies or individuals. In 2019, Chinese billionaire Sun Guangxin invested $110 million in farmland near Texas's Laughlin Air Force Base with the intention of building a wind farm that would have given him access to the state's electric grid. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved the proposal, but state and local action ultimately deterred the wind farm's development. In 2022, FuFeng Group purchased land near North Dakota's Grand Forks Air Force Base. CFIUS claimed it had no jurisdiction over the situation, but "local pressure defeated the proposed development."
State Armor Action CEO Michael Lucci also testified in support of SB 226 and its companion bill, HB 212, according to The Hannah Report. Lucci highlighted warnings issued by FBI Director Chris Wray, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Director Jen Easterly of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) regarding the CCP's intention to create a "crisis" in the U.S. by targeting critical infrastructure such as ports and transportation systems. He said it is "generally agreed" that the CCP would "initiate such sabotage in the context of initiating warfare in the Pacific with America or her allies."
Before joining AFPI, Savit was China program coordinator at the Center for Security Policy, according to AFPI's website. Additionally, Savit has held numerous national security research and communications roles. He is also a John Quincy Adams Fellow at the Common Sense Society.
