Capitol Hill lawmakers say Beijing after a Chinese company bought a farmland in North Dakota, just off the U.S. Air Force base that houses sensitive drone technology. Concerned about the possibility of espionage, according to the report.
The Hufen Group in Shandong Province, China, which specializes in seasonings and sugar substitutes, recently purchased 300 acres of farmland near Grand Forks, North Dakota. Canadian border.
Grand Forks is also 40 miles from Grafton, North Dakota, and the limited liability company, believed to be dominated by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, has recently been thousands of. I paid $ 13 million for an acre of potato farms. ,Is causing a fuss among the locals.
Three people from North Dakota have sold their land to Fufeng Group for $ 2.6 million.According to CNBC.
As with Gates-related purchases, the sale of local farmland to a Chinese company caused a visceral reaction, according to one of the sellers, Gary Bridgeford.
This is because the land is just a 20-minute drive from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is considered to be home to the country's most sophisticated military drone technology.
Bridgeford told CNBC that some locals had planted a sign in his front yard condemning the deal.
"I was intimidated," he said. "I've been called all the names in the book to sell real estate."
But another local business owner said the fear was justified. Craig Spicer, who runs a truck company next to a new land owned by China, told CNBC: It makes children feel nervous.
Bridgeford argues that there is no basis for the Chinese government's fear of using the area as a relay point for espionage.
"How do they get the knowledge of the base?" He asked. "It's about 12 miles away. It's not like next door."
Bridgeford added: "People are hearing about China and are concerned."
"But everyone has a cell phone in their pocket. This is probably made in China. Where do you draw the line?" ? "
The Fufeng Group used this land for $ 700 million in corn. He said he was planning to make one. A gristmill that creates at least 200 jobs and creates remaining opportunities for logistics, trucking, and other services.
However, US military officials are still ringing the alarm. A senior Air Force officer circulated a memo in April warning that the presence of the Fufeng Group in the town of Grand Forks, a town of only 60,000 people, is a national security threat.
"Some of the most sensitive elements of the Grand Forks are in the digital uplinks and downlinks that are unique to unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and their interaction with space-based assets," the United States said. Air Force Major Jeremy Fox writes.
Chinese companies in close proximity to such data "will pose a costly national security risk that would seriously damage the strategic advantage of the United States."
Senator Kevin Kramer (R-ND) also opposed the existence of the Fufeng Group, which he considers to be the front line of the Chinese government.
"I think we really underestimate how effective they are in gathering information, collecting data, and using it in malicious ways. "Masu," Cramer told CNBC.
"So I won't let the Chinese Communist Party do it right away. Business in the backyard. "
Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, reiterated that feeling.
"The Senate Intelligence Committee is yelling at the threat of counterintelligence by (People's Republic of China)," Warner said.
"We need to be seriously concerned about China's investment in places close to sensitive areas, such as military bases around the United States."
Post asks for comment , Fufeng Group and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.
Earlier this week,AgDaily submitted a bill to Congress banning foreign companies such as China, Iran, Russia and North Korea from buying American farmland. Reported that there was.
