Gov. Sanders Unveils Bills Targeting CCP Influence in Arkansas

Goals of the package include divesting from Chinese funds and banning CCP-linked companies from owning or leasing properties near critical infrastructure.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md. on Feb. 22, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Feb. 26 announced a set of bills aimed at Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in the state.

Parts of the package, dubbed the Communist China Defense legislative package, were introduced in January and February.

“Once I sign this legislation into law, Chinese Communist Party-linked companies will be banned from owning property near critical infrastructure, and lobbying on behalf of Communist China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries will no longer be allowed in the state of Arkansas. My administration is putting America and Arkansas first,” Sanders said in a statement.

If the bills become law, state-supported universities, as well as retirement and pension funds, will be banned from investing in Chinese funds; government bodies will be prohibited from using state funds to buy made-in-China promotional products; and the establishment of sister cities with Chinese cities will be prohibited.

Companies linked to the CCP and other foreign adversaries, which are already banned from owning farmland in Arkansas, will be banned from leasing and owning property near the state’s critical infrastructure, the governor said.

State-supported universities will also be barred from accessing public funding if they host a Confucius Institute or other similar Chinese institutes.

Describing Communist China as “America’s greatest adversary,” state Sen. Blake Johnson, a lead sponsor of the legislation, said he’s “proud Arkansas is leading the way in pushing back against our enemies and putting America first.”

“This legislation protects our farmers, our businesses, and our national security,” he said.

Rep. DeAnn Vaught, another lead sponsor of the package, said: “The protection of Arkansas agricultural lands, seed technology, and our intellectual property should be of the highest priority.”

Other lead sponsors include state Reps. Brit McKenzie, Mindy McAlindon, and Howard M. Beaty Jr.

Confucius Institutes are Chinese state-sponsored organizations that run Mandarin courses and facilitate cultural events overseas. They have been accused of censoring speech, discriminating against Chinese ethnic minorities, propagating communist ideology, and exerting undue influence on their host institutions outside of China.

In 2020, the State Department designated 17 organizations, including the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, as “foreign missions.” The Defense Department has already been restricted by law from providing federal funding to higher education institutions that host Confucius Institutes, and the restriction will become a ban in October 2026.

Federal lawmakers have also introduced bills to restrict funding to Confucius Institutes via the Department of Homeland Security or elementary and secondary schools.

The legislative package in Arkansas came as Washington is looking for ways to curb Chinese purchases of American farmland.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently told Breitbart News that the issue is “one of the very, very top of the list” for the administration.

Before becoming agriculture secretary, Rollins was president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, which backs state-level legislation banning Chinese control of American farmland.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the date the bills were introduced. The Epoch Times regrets the error.