China remains the biggest international threat to America.
Just in the last few months the Chinese Communist Party’s government has banned exports of two rare minerals needed to produce the semi-conductors that power most American consumer products; aggressively flown a fighter jet within feet of an American B-52 in international airspace over the South China Sea, and continued a genocidal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Uyghurs living in China.
The Chinese Communists are ruthless despots who oppose everything America stands for and believes in from personal liberty to freedom of religion to private property rights.
In the race for president there is one candidate who stands out from the others in taking concrete action to stop the Chinese Communists — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Americans are not allowed to own farmland in China, but most people don’t realize Chinese firms and investors own over 380,000 acres of land in the United States. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed the first law banning Chinese Communists from purchasing land that is close to military installation and other critical infrastructure and from purchasing agricultural land important to our ability to feed our country.
Here in North Carolina, I lead a bipartisan group of state House members who unanimously passed the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act, a bill modeled on Gov. DeSantis’ legislation during the last legislative session. Hopefully, next spring the State Senate will pass the bill so North Carolina can join Florida and other states that have followed the lead of Gov. DeSantis in taking concrete steps to block China from buying up land in our communities.
John Bell represents NC House District 10 and is Majority Leader in the North Carolina House of Representatives.