Lawmakers raise concerns about Chinese-based firm's acquisition of land near US military installation

Fifty-one lawmakers in a new letter are sounding alarms over a Chinese-based manufacturer’s acquisition of land near a U.S. Air Force base in North Dakota.  

In a letter to the secretaries of Defense, Agriculture and the Treasury, the lawmakers, led by Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), call the property purchase by the Fufeng Group an “alarming development for our national security." 

The Fufeng Group has “close links” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the letter asserts, and the acquisition of land north of the Grand Forks Air Force Base puts the Chinese firm in “the ideal location to closely monitor and intercept military activity.” 

The chemical manufacturer is reportedly planning $700 million project for the North Dakota land, its first U.S.-based facility. 

“This CCP-tied entity will have potential advantageous opportunities to perpetrate espionage, including actions and activities carried out under commercial cover or auspices,” the letter reads. 

“We are concerned about the precedent this land purchase will set and its ability to serve as the model for our adversaries to encroach on American security, particularly through purchases of farmland in our congressional districts housing several military installations.” 

The lawmakers are asking for the U.S. departments to further assess the situation, take action on potential security risks and respond to five questions outlined in the letter, inquiring about the transaction and surrounding processes and security actions. 

“At a time when the United States is engaged in great power competition with China, we must utilize every tool at our disposal to protect and defend the integrity of our military and national security, maintain military dominance, and maximize our global military readiness,” the lawmakers argue.

The letter is signed by a number of Gimenez's fellow House Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Jody Hice (Ga.), Kat Cammack (Fla.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Nancy Mace (S.C.).