House GOPs Ask DOD About Chinese Land Purchase Near Air Force Base

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) and 50 other Republicans on Tuesday sent a letter to the Secretaries of Defense, Treasury, and Agriculture asking them to address a Chinese company’s purchase of farmland near an Air Force base in North Dakota where sensitive national security activities are conducted.

A Chinese company, Fufeng Group, has purchased land purportedly for a wet corn milling plant near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota for $700 million, raising questions about the potential of Chinese espionage.

The purchase is currently under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), with any work being done on the project halted until the review is complete.

Fufeng makes a range of products for various industries and is a leading producer of xanthan gum, according to the Associated Press. The Grand Forks site would be its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility, according to the AP.