Missouri bars CCP-linked entities from buying farmland near military bases

Missouri Governor Mike Parson this month signed an executive order forbidding entities linked to adversarial countries from purchasing agricultural land close to US military bases. 

While foreign entities with ties to Iran, Cuba, Russia, North Korea, and Venezuela are also included in the ban, Governor Parson singled out China.

“With heightened concerns regarding ownership of Missouri farm land by foreign adversaries, especially China, we are signing this order to safeguard our military and intelligence assets, prevent security threats to our state, and give Missourians greater peace of mind,” Parson said. “When it comes to China and other foreign adversaries, we must take commonsense precautions that protect Missourians and our security resources.”

Missouri is home to Whiteman Air Force Base, Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, and Fort Leonard Wood, the Daily Wire reported.

According to a 2021 US Department of Agriculture report, Chinese entities hold approximately 384,000 acres of US land, nearly the size of New York City. Some of these more recent purchases were for land positioned near military installations, sparking concern among some lawmakers. 

The Fufeng Group, for example, whose Executive Chairman Xuechun Li is considered an ardent member and supporter of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), recently purchased 370 acres in North Dakota. Sensitive drone technology is housed at a US Air Force base roughly a 20 minute drive from the plot.

In September a Chinese-owned electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer named Gotion Inc. announced the establishment of a $2 billion battery plant in Kankakee County, Illinois, close to a National Guard military installation.

Gotion Inc. is owned by Gotion High-Tech, based in Hefei, China. The company’s Articles of Association contain multiple promises of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

For instance, Article 9 says, “The Company shall set up a Party organization and carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China. The Company shall ensure necessary conditions for carrying out Party activities.”

In addition, Gotion established the Gotion High-Tech Co., Ltd. Committee of the Communist Party of China, which is mandated under Article 115 to carry out its functions in compliance with the CCP’s Constitution.

In August, the Daily Caller obtained footage of Gotion High-Tech employees posing as Red Army soldiers and making a lifelong commitment to “fight for communism.” The video was shot while on field trips to communist revolutionary memorials with the group. Gotion High-Tech purportedly employs about 920 members of the CCP.

Despite this, the company was given permission to erect a $2 billion EV battery plant in Monteno, which is around 15 miles away from a National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) and readiness center. The facility, which opened in 2017, is home to ten UH-60 Black Hawks, weapons simulations, and more than 200 personnel.

The approval came after Michigan officials in April granted Gotion approval to construct an EV battery facility. The corporation said it had acquired 270 rural acres in Green Charter Township, Michigan, close to Grand Rapids. The property is located within 100 miles of a US military installation and roughly 60 miles from US military armories.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) — who represents the area in which Gotion plans to establish the new plant — opposed the purchase.

“For our state to welcome CCP investment in Michigan 100 miles from the same facility where the Michigan National Guard has worked with military officials from Taiwan is a dangerous double standard that puts national security at risk,” said Moolenaar. “This land purchase in Green Township is a step backwards for Michigan and our communities.”

Gotion Inc. is not a threat to national security, according to the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). But this lack of concern evidently is not shared by taxpayers.

In November, the residents of Green Charter Township replaced the local government overnight over its approval of the Gotion purchase. All five council members were recalled and replaced the next day, along with new locks on the doors.

Missouri’s move to bar CCP-linked companies from buying farmland follows similar decisions by Arkansas and Florida.