Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a video further asserting his stance that it’s unreasonable to let the state’s farmland fall into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Virginians, not the CCP, should own the rich and vibrant agricultural lands God has blessed us with,” he says.
“That is why I’m asking this General Assembly to send me a bill to prohibit dangerous foreign entities tied to the CCP from purchasing Virginia’s farmland. Friends, that’s common sense.”
Not featured in the video but said in his Jan. 11 address, Youngkin described the CCP as “a dictatorial political party that only has one goal: global dominance at the expense of the United States.”
It would have potentially allowed the CCP to have full access to Ford’s technology, he said.
“I’d much rather have a good clean deal than one that’s embroiled in controversy and one that is going to promote the Chinese Communist Party,” Youngkin said.
Growing Concerns
Recent years have seen growing outcry over Chinese land acquisitions to build energy infrastructure or those located near U.S. military bases.The chief concern is that such purchases could allow the CCP the ability to disrupt the country’s critical infrastructure and spy on defense facilities.
Trump’s Promise
Former President Donald Trump has promised to ban Chinese nationals from buying U.S. farmland or other critical industries if he retakes the White House.“China does not allow American companies to take over their critical infrastructure, and America should not allow China to take over our critical infrastructure,” he said in a Jan. 18 speech at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump also emphasized a need for “aggressive new restrictions on Chinese ownership of any vital infrastructure in the United States, including energy, technology, telecommunications, farmland, natural resources, medical supplies, and other strategic national assets.”
“If you look at the Chinese Communist Party, they’ve been very active throughout the Western hemisphere in gobbling up land and investing in different things,” DeSantis said during a press conference on Jan. 10.
“And, you know, when they have interests that are opposed to ours, and you’ve seen how they’ve wielded their authority … it is not in the best interests of Florida to have the Chinese Communist Party owning farmland, owning land close to military bases,” said DeSantis who is a potential presidential rival for Trump.
As a result, Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski announced on Jan. 31 that he plans to stop the Chinese project.