Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that restricts Chinese citizens from purchasing or leasing land in the state that is intended for infrastructure or transportation projects. The move is part of a broader effort to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from gaining influence and control over strategic assets in the United States. DeSantis stated that the ban is necessary to protect Florida's economy, infrastructure, and security, and to ensure that important decision-making processes in the state are not influenced by the CCP. This law follows similar restrictions on Chinese investment and influence in other U.S. states.
The ban does not apply to Chinese citizens who already own property in Florida or who are in the process of purchasing property for residential or commercial purposes. This law is another example of the growing concern among U.S. policymakers about Chinese investment and influence in the country. Some experts believe that China's efforts to gain control over critical infrastructure and assets in the United States could pose a national security threat, making laws like this one a way to protect the country's strategic interests.
If you’d like to read more about Florida banning CCP from buying land, please read this article from Fox News. An excerpt of the article has been copied below:
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday banning Chinese citizens from purchasing land in Florida unless they are also a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
“Food security is also national security, and so we don't want the CCP in charge of any food production,” DeSantis said. China owned 352,140 acres of U.S. land in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 1% of total foreign-held acres. Canadian investors owned 12.4 million acres the same year, the most of any foreign country.
