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Recent arrests of Chinese nationals at the University of Michigan have resurrected concerns about CCP-owned farmland and property in the United States, particularly in Michigan, and caused some to draw parallels with the current conflict between Iran and Israel.
Earlier this month, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan in an incident that FBI Director Kash Patel described as a “sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives.”
Later, a third Chinese national with connections to the university was arrested, renewing questions about China’s efforts to infiltrate and influence various sectors in the United States, including buying up farmland, which has been a growing concern nationwide.
A 2023 report from the United States Department of Agriculture found that “foreign persons held an interest in nearly 45 million acres of U.S. agricultural land,” which represents 3.5% of all privately held agricultural land and 2% of all land in the country.
NEW LEGISLATION AIMS TO TELL CHINA ‘NO’ ON BUYING UP AMERICAN FARMLAND
Experts are warning that recent current events symbolize a “wake-up” call to the threat China poses to the United States. (Getty)
While China is not at the top of the list of countries in that report, the arrests in Michigan have prompted calls from Congress to ensure that the CCP, viewed by many as the nation’s top geopolitical adversary, is not buying up farmland in the United States.
Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts exclusively told Fox News Digital this week that China has been aggressively buying American agriculture, “which is why we need to have a heightened sense of vigilance around protecting our…
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