Lawmakers raise concerns about Chinese-based firm’s acquisition of land near US military installation

A number of American lawmakers have raised the alarm over a Chinese-based firm’s acquisition of land near a US Air Force base in North Dakota. 

In a letter to the secretaries of Defense, Agriculture and the Treasury, 51 lawmakers, led by Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), described the property purchase from the Fufeng Group as an “alarming development for our national security.”

The letter is signed by a number of Giminez’s fellow House Republican lawmakers, including Representatives Jody Hice (Ga.), Kat Cammack (Fla.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Nancy Mace (S.C.), The Hill reported.

The letter claims that the Fufeng Group has “close links” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the acquisition of land north of the Grand Forks Air Force Base puts the Chinese firm in “the ideal location to closely monitor and intercept military activity.”

The company is reportedly planning to establish a $700 million project on the North Dakota land.

“This CCP-tied entity will have potential advantageous opportunities to perpetrate espionage, including actions and activities carried out under commercial cover or auspices,” the letter reads.

“We are concerned about the precedent this land purchase will set and its ability to serve as the model for our adversaries to encroach on American security, particularly through purchases of farmland in our congressional districts housing several military installations.”

The lawmakers have urged US departments to further evaluate the situation, and take stock of potential security risks. They also called on them to respond to five questions outlined in the letter.

“At a time when the United States is engaged in great power competition with China, we must utilize every tool at our disposal to protect and defend the integrity of our military and national security, maintain military dominance, and maximize our global military readiness,” the lawmakers argue.

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Last month, US House Speaker Nancy made a brief trip to Taiwan and met with its president in what was meant to be an affront to Beijing. China reacted by holding military drills in Chinese Taipei’s surrounding waters for several days.

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