The plan to confront China and kick out companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party from the U.S.

The line against Beijing is drawn in Little Rock.

“We are taking a strong stand against China infiltrating our state,” says Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “We’re going to continue to push back.”

Arkansas is the first state in the nation that forced a Chinese-connected company to divest farmland, and now says it is taking additional action against the CCP.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS ON TARIFF THREAT: TRUMP IS TIRED OF AMERICA GETTING RIPPED OFF

Sanders is introducing new legislation that adds further measures to stop China state-owned businesses from operating in her state and shut down programs sponsored by China.

The measures include banning CCP-linked companies from buying or leasing property, blocking ownership near critical infrastructure sites, scraping Sister City partnerships and cutting funding for universities and colleges that have Chinese-funded programs.

“We’ve seen a number of cases where China is trying to infiltrate things that matter to our critical infrastructure, buying up land around our military bases, our substations. These are things that we’re taking strong action against here in Arkansas, expanding existing legislation so that we can continue to hold their feet to the fire and push them out,” says Sanders.

Sarah Sanders

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during a campaign rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2024. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2023, the state ordered Syngenta Seeds, whose parent company is a Chinese conglomerate, to divest farmland used for seed production. 

The company said that “the suggestion that China is using Syngenta to purchase land or conduct operations for any purpose other than supporting the company’s commercial business in North America is simply false.”  But the state fined the company $280,000 for not initially disclosing its foreign ownership by the deadline.

“Syngenta is foreign-owned — ultimately by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Arkansas Attorney General Tim Miller in announcing the penalty.

“This serves as a warning to all other Chinese state-owned companies operating in Arkansas.”

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CAN’T WAIT FOR TRUMP TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY IN THE STATES

“Agriculture is the number one industry here in the state of Arkansas and so protecting our agricultural security and protecting the components that make it so strong, are one of the things that are really important,” says Sanders.

Two other firms are being investigated for possible ties to China, but in December a Federal Judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt the probe of one of them.  

At least 22 states have enacted some form of restrictions on Chinese-owned companies.

“The CCP has aggressive intent and has become more aggressive and threatening, both at home as well as abroad, and we need to be aware of these threats,” says Congressman John Moolenaar, (R) Michigan, Chairman of House Select Committee on the CCP.  He says more states should follow Sanders’ lead.

“She is taking a leadership role and protecting farmland and green spaces in Arkansas and making sure the CCP doesn’t gain a foothold in Arkansas. We want to see more states taking this kind of action,” he says.

US and China flags

The national flags of the United States and China flutter at the Fairmont Peace Hotel on April 25, 2024 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)

For several years, officials have been warning about China’s entry into the U.S., through businesses and other organizations that they say pose a national security threat.

Michael Pillsbury, a former top U.S. government official on China matters and Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, has been sounding the alarm. He authored “The One Hundred Year Marathon, China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower” a decade ago and says not much has changed since then.

“What Governor Sanders is launching is pretty important,” he says, “part of building the long-term foundation to protect ourselves against the CCP, but it is not the end of the story unless she is successful in persuading Homeland Security and the FBI to make this a federal issue.”

“The state of Arkansas doesn’t have a CIA or FBI to do this. The intelligence collection that triggers the alarm is what the federal government has to do.”

FORMER USAID OFFICIAL WARNS CHINA IS ALREADY LOOKING TO FILL VOID LEFT BY PAUSED PROGRAMS

Experts say it can be difficult to determine if a company is really owned by a Chinese firm, which is part of the CCP’s strategy.

“There really is no such thing as a private company in China,” says Rep. Moolenaar. “All the companies are affiliated in some way and directed in some way by the Chinese Communist Party. And secondly, it is important to note that they have something called military fusion, where technologies, even in the civil area, are used for military purposes.”

He says Chinese-funded programs that operate under the guise of educational programs also serve to further the CCP’s interests, which is one target of Sanders’ push. Moolenaar points to a recent case in his state of Michigan that raised alarms.

“The Chinese Communist Party will leverage people,” he says. “Five Chinese national students were caught spying at Camp Grayling. Camp Grayling is a military facility, where according to public reports, we train military leaders, including Taiwanese military leaders. So when you consider the threat of the leverage of the Chinese Communist Party, we need to be vigilant and protect American universities and American taxpayer dollars.”

Web Summit 2019 - Day Three

Michael Pillsbury, Senior Fellow and Director for Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute, on FutureSocieties during the final day of Web Summit 2019 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal.  (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)

The five Chinese students were charged last fall with lying to the FBI after they claimed to be observing meteor showers at midnight at the base, but instead were found to have taken photos of the installation.  The FBI said all five  graduated last spring from the University of Michigan, and were part of a joint program between the university and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.

This is exactly the type of suspicious scenario Sanders is trying to address.

“We know that so often China is looking for any way possible into and developing a relationship for the purpose of exploiting it, and for the purpose of taking that information back and using it against us,” she says. “We want to make sure that we are protecting against that.”

China’s embassy in Washington has accused the U.S. of “politicizing and weaponizing economic and trade issues.” Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu says U.S. officials “deliberately obstruct normal economic and trade exchange for (a) political agenda.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But critics charge that is exactly what the CCP is doing under the guise of commerce and friendship.

“We need to be proactive,” warns Rep. Moolenaar. “We need to not so much look for a smoking gun, we need to look for a loaded gun that is actually a threat to America.”

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

An artist’s impression of Ludi Tance 4-01 with its antenna array extended. Image: China Academy of Space Technology

China declassifies tech of world’s first high orbit radar satellite, worrying US

Ludi Tance 4-01 – or Ludi – which was launched in August 2023, is the highest flying surveillance satellite ever launched. It continuously monitors the Asia-Pacific region from an altitude of 36,000km (22,370 miles), far above US remote-sensing radar satellites that are positioned in low Earth orbit, according to the project team, led by senior

Top mathematician Shing-Tung Yau leads China’s bid for 2030 maths Olympics

Top mathematician Shing-Tung Yau leads China’s bid for 2030 maths Olympics

China is vying with Japan and Britain to host the 2030 maths Olympics for the second time, after it first held the event in 2002, an initiative led by eminent mathematician Shing-Tung Yau. Yau is leading a team of 40 Chinese and international mathematicians in the bid for the 2030 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM),

China’s tech rally ignores trade and tech war

China’s tech rally ignores trade and tech war

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. China’s tech rally ignores trade and tech war David Goldman analyzes the recent surge in Chinese tech stocks, with the Hang Seng Tech Index rising 27% over the past month, significantly outperforming the Nasdaq. Despite

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the G20 Foreign Minister Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 20.

China sees opportunity in a world turned upside down by Trump

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Hong Kong CNN  —  President Donald Trump’s upending of US foreign policy has alarmed allies and nations in need. His administration has frozen foreign aid, threatened to take

COMOROS-MORONI-CHINA AID-MALARIA

Trump’s reversal in Ukraine aids Beijing, Western officials say

In less than two weeks, President Donald Trump has upended America’s long-standing role in the world. At the United Nations on Monday, in the same hall where U.S. diplomats for decades confronted their Russian counterparts on behalf of the “free world,” Washington’s envoy joined Moscow in voting against a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  The vote followed a week in

US cuts to science and technology could fast-track China’s tech dominance

US cuts to science and technology could fast-track China’s tech dominance

Is the United States now trying to lose the technology race with China? It certainly seems to be. The race is tight, and now the Trump administration is slashing funding for the three national institutions that have underpinned science and technology (S&T) and what advantage the US still has. China is outpacing the US in

Orange company sign on the facade of a glass building.

DeepSeek is now a global force. But it’s just one player in China’s booming AI industry

When small Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek released a family of extremely efficient and highly competitive AI models last month, it rocked the global tech community. The release revealed China’s growing technological prowess. It also showcased a distinctly Chinese approach to AI advancement. This approach is characterised by strategic investment, efficient innovation and careful

Governor Sanders Announces the Communist China Defense Legislative Package

Governor Sanders Announces the Communist China Defense Legislative Package

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today introduced the Communist China Defense legislative package, which will divest state resources from Communist China and ban foreign adversaries from buying land around critical infrastructure like military bases and electric substations. The legislation’s lead sponsors are Senator Blake Johnson (District 21), Representative DeAnn Vaught (District 87), Representative Britt McKenzie (District 7), Representative

US must take proactive approach to counter China

US must take proactive approach to counter China

US must take proactive approach to counter China Portraits of Xi Jinping and Mao Zedong at a souvenir shop in a tourist area of Beijing, China, Feb. 26, 2025. (AFP) The Chinese Communist Party has aggressively expanded its influence beyond China’s borders, posing a significant and evolving threat to US national security, economic interests

Anne-Marie Brady warned that the military drills were a warning of China's future intentions

Top China expert sounds the alarm for Australia – and why the latest military drills could be just the beginning amid warning Beijing is trying to set up a ‘permanent presence’ on our doorstep

A leading China expert has warned that live fire drills are just the beginning as Beijing tries to set up a ‘permanent presence’ between Australia and New Zealand.  Three Chinese warships conducted live firing exercises 640km off the New South Wales south coast on Friday. Australian Defence Force officials were first alerted to the drills, not by

Trump, Xi in photo illustration side-by-side

Trump’s latest moves signals most ‘hawkish’ approach on China yet: expert

President Donald Trump’s latest move to restrict Chinese investment in strategic areas shows the president may be even more aggressive than ever toward the U.S. rival in his second term. “Although it will take time for the necessary agency and regulatory actions necessary to implement the policy, Trump 2.0 is taking an even more hawkish

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China’s croplands, Taiwan’s home-grown submarine: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China could lose 35 per cent of its cropland by 2100, scientists warn A peer-reviewed study published earlier this month estimated that 35 per cent of China’s

New Tesla Model Y deliveries officially start in China

New Tesla Model Y deliveries officially start in China

Tesla China has formally started local deliveries of the new Model Y. The milestone was confirmed by the electric vehicle maker in a post on its official Weibo account. The announcement: In its post, Tesla confirmed that domestic deliveries of the revamped all-electric crossover have begun in China. Tesla China also hinted at its confidence in

China could take peacekeeping role in post-war Ukraine – but at what cost?

China could take peacekeeping role in post-war Ukraine – but at what cost?

China’s potential peacekeeping role in post-war Ukraine may provide Beijing with an opportunity to expand its influence and military training – but it could also backfire, experts say. Until recently it might have seemed unthinkable for Chinese military forces to be present in Europe, but a potential plan is being discussed in which Beijing could

Premier Li Qiang visits a company owned by China Telecom on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Premier Li makes house call to state telecoms as Beijing dials in on innovation

Hammering home the central government’s hope that tech breakthroughs will become a driving force for the Chinese economy and help pave a path of self-reliance, Premier Li Qiang has called on state-owned telecom giants to accelerate research and be more innovative. The urging came during visits by Li on Tuesday to companies and research centres

Winston Peters and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing.

Watch: RNZ’s Corin Dann in Beijing ahead of foreign ministers meeting

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has noted New Zealand and China will not always agree, in his opening remarks at today’s bilateral meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing. Peters spoke at the Great of Hall of the People, and told Han Zheng that New Zealand had a long history of engagement with China

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x