Ricketts, Fetterman warn China’s farmland deals pose national security threat

Exclusive: Republican senator is leading Beit Rikitz with Democratic Senator John Vitirman to write down the censorship of foreign countries that buy American agricultural lands.

The AFIDA’s foreign investment improvement law seeks to implement the recommendations published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in January 2024, which found that AFIDA was not equipped to combat foreign ownership of American agricultural lands.

“Communist China is the greatest political geographical threat,” Ricetts told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview, adding: “This is a way for us to improve the detection that occurs in the purchase of this agricultural land, so that we can take other action if l

The proposal of the bill comes as Chinese citizens – a Michigan University The post-PhD research colleague, Yunqing Jian, and the University of Huazhong University for Science and Technology Chengxuan Han-was held in federal reservation after accusing them of smuggling biological materials to the United States.

RICICETTS, Fetterman team is cooperating to prepare China’s attempts to buy American agricultural lands

The suspects were accused of “smuggling fungi that were described as” Agricultural terrorism weapon “ In a statement “in a statement” in a statement “in a statement” in a statement “in their heart in their statement in their statement in the statement:” In the heart of America in the heart of America, where they apparently intend to use the Michigan University laboratory to enhance their plan. ”

After Ukraine’s sudden drones assaulted Russia, the new attention was attracted to sensitive sites in the United States

Fungi in the “head lesion”, described as a disease of wheat, corn, rice and barley, is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses around the world every year, according to the Ministry of Justice. If humans absorb it, the substance can cause vomiting, damage to the liver and “reproductive defects in humans and livestock.”

The Minister of Internal Security Minister Tricia McLeulin Fox News told the Trump administration focusing on “keeping our homeland safe” through reinforced border checks.

“Protection of American food supplies and national security is still a top priority.” Attempt to smuggle last week by Chinese citizens in Fosarium Grinroom, which is serious fungi in the formulation of crops, which is a major threat to biological terrorism, only highlights this necessity to combat this threat. ”

“It might be harmful to agriculture,” Rikitz told Fox News Digital. “We also know that Chinese citizens are trying to steal our vital technology with regard to agriculture. They were also colliding with gates of bases. The supposed Chinese tourists fly drones.

“This is why we need an increasing feeling of vigilance about protecting our homeland,” said Ricks.

The main entrance to the Grand Forms Air Force near Grand Forks, North Dakota, on May 18, 2023. (Ben Brewer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Foreign investors have more than 40 million acres of agricultural land in the United States, and between 2010 and 2021, the Chinese ownership of American agricultural lands increased from 13720 acres to 383,935 acres, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“It is not only the number of acres they possess, but the fact that they own it about the Grand Forms Air Force base in North Dakota or Fort Liberty in North Carolina. They buy it around sensitive military facilities,” said Rikitz.

The draft law, which also participated in its sponsorship SNS. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama, John Corn from Texas, Roger Weker from Mississippi and Deputy Don Bacon, from Nebraska, developed reports on foreign persons who hold more than 1 % of interest in American agricultural lands.

The AFIDA improvement law aims to increase the exchange of information between the foreign investment committee in the United States and the US Department of Agriculture. It also requires updates to the AFIDA booklet and the establishment of a deadline for the US Department of Agriculture to prepare the AFIDA system online.

Air view of agricultural lands in central California. (Istock)

According to GAO recommendations, the draft law seeks to update the 1978 foreign agricultural investment detection law to better equip the US Department of Agriculture to combat foreign land ownership of American agricultural lands.

“We are the most dangerous point in our history now since World War II,” Rikitz said. “We have to invest in our army. We have to support our friends all over the world who pay these dictators. Communist China is one of them.”

In addition, the draft law comes at a time when the conflict in the Middle East reaches a boiling point between Iran and Israel, indicating concerns about national security. Israel has succeeded in coordinating attacks against Iran from inside the country, and Ricks indicated that Ukraine was successful in targeting a Russian air base.

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“Ukraine was able to do against Russia through its work that destroyed some strategic bombers, and put trucks with drones near an air base and these drones were attacking their swarms. We can be vulnerable to controlling the same thing if China has decreased here.

Rikits added that American agricultural lands should not be “a tool that our opponents can use, such as Communist China, for our striker from within our country.”

There has been a small movement on the draft law since it was recently presented. This is largely because the Republicans of the Senate focus slightly on the progress of the “major and beautiful draft law” of Trump before the deadline imposed on July 4.

Julia Bonavita of Fox News Digital and Alex Miller contributed to this report.