Donald Trump vowed to crack down on the ability of Chinese-backed companies to buy “vital infrastructure” in the United States in a new campaign video released Wednesday.
The former president accused Beijing’s dollar-run government and companies of “spending trillions of dollars to take over the crown jewels of the US economy.”
The cornerstone of his plan includes a ban on Chinese nationals from buying US farmland amid bipartisan concerns that Beijing could use its dollars to gain influence over economies around the world.
Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, a leading voice in Congress against Beijing’s growing soft power whose state has taken steps to address the issue, told on Wednesday he was glad it was being addressed in the 2024 election campaign.
“This issue requires immediate action from leaders across the country as it poses a national security threat, and I’m pleased that President Trump has made it a priority in his campaign,” Waltz told .
Donald Trump announced a proposed strategy to take on China’s growing influence on his Truth Social account
“I hope lawmakers can couple Florida’s Strategic Land Plan with existing federal legislative proposals at this Congress to restrict these types of purchases by the Chinese Communist Party and other hostile foreign organizations.”
Trump claimed in his new video: “China is buying up our technology. They buy up food supplies. They’re buying up our farmland. They are buying up our minerals and natural resources. They’re buying up our ports and shipping terminals.’
“As I have long said, economic security is national security. China does not allow American companies to take over their critical infrastructure. And America should not let China take over our critical infrastructure.”
Trump called for “aggressive new restrictions on Chinese ownership of vital infrastructure in the United States, including energy, technology, telecommunications, farmland, natural resources, medical supplies, and other strategic national assets.”
The former president called for an immediate halt to transactions with China and the companies he supports, and to pressure them to relinquish existing properties “that endanger our national security.”
Pages from a document from Grand Forks, North Dakota, about the development of a wet corn mill by Fufeng USA, a Chinese company
The land purchase alarmed some national security hawks because of its proximity to a US Air Force base
“If we don’t do that, the United States will be owned by China, which would make them very happy,” Trump said.
A prominent part of his plan calls for a total ban on Chinese nationals from buying US farmland. It is not immediately clear how feasible a policy point would be to implement this.
Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson immediately praised Trump’s plan, writing on Twitter, “China must be BANNED from owning ANY property in our infrastructure, and President Trump is the ONLY person who can DESTROY China’s corrupt hold on our country.” If we want to stop China, we NEED to get President Trump BACK in the White House!!”
Effective immediately, foreign transactions involving US farmland must be disclosed to the USDA under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. Otherwise there is a risk of high fines.
But now there’s a growing consensus among lawmakers in Congress that the four-decade-old policy may need an update.
Foreign policy hawks in Congress like Waltz have been sounding the alarm for more than a year against companies funded at least in part by China’s authoritarian government that have been buying up vast tracts of land in the American Midwest.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing has seen its soft power on the world stage greatly increased through various economic investments and military developments
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa said China was buying up US farmland “at an alarming rate” last week, according to the Quad City Times.
She introduced legislation to further increase transparency on foreign purchases of US farmland, including safety assessments and warnings for “empty” land leases.
The plan, which Trump put forward on Wednesday, is similar to a proposal by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — another likely Republican contender for 2024 — to crack down on Chinese purchases in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis said at a recent news conference he wanted such a ban to be “as comprehensive as possible,” from farmland to retirement homes.
“If you look at the Chinese Communist Party, they’ve been very active throughout the western hemisphere, gobbling up land and investing in different things. And you know, when they have interests opposed to ours, and you’ve seen them exercise their authority — particularly with President Xi, who has taken a much more Marxist-Leninist turn since he has ruled China, the Republican governor said to him Month.
“It’s not in the best interests of Florida when the Chinese Communist Party owns farmland, land near military bases.”