Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke out against China for buying up large amount of land in his home state.
Governor DeSantis, who is viewed as a favorite for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, railed against the Chinese Communist Party over major purchases of farmland and other properties in the Sunshine state.
“I don’t think they should be able to do it,” DeSantis declared. “I think the problem is these companies have ties to the CCP, and it’s not always apparent on the face of whatever a company is doing – but I think it’s a huge problem.”
Because of the major landgrabs in Florida and other states, DeSantis is calling for a federal ban on such purchases that create “undue influence from rogue states” like China.
The Governor added, “We’re also probably going to do legislation next legislative session about our pension investments, with things that may be linked to the CCP. We don’t necessarily have a lot of it, but we want to make sure that we’re cutting ties so that we’re not funding our number-one adversary.”
This is not the first time that Florida has taken action against Chinese investment in their state. The popular southern state already banned what are known as “Confucius Institutes”, special CCP funded educational programs meant to “educate” the American public about China in a positive light.
DeSantis’s administration also famously tied Disney’s opposition of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” laws in Florida schools to their capitulation to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Disney has actively endorsed the CCP’s mistreatment of ethnic and religious minorities,” DeSantis’ spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, told FOX Business.
“Disney’s live-action film “Mulan” (2020) was filmed in Xinjiang, with Uyghur internment camps edited out of the background. Disney actually thanked Xinjiang CCP officials in the credits of the movie,” she added.
While Ron DeSantis is actively looking for major national issues to weigh in on as he builds his own presidential profile, the issue of Chinese land buys has become a national crisis. Last week China was called out for buying up a large chunk of “farmland” near a major US military base in North Dakota, giving them significant strategic access to the base.
What do you think of DeSantis’s proposal to ban foreign entities like the CCP from buying up US land? Is it anti-capitalism to not let the land owners sell to whoever they wish to or is it strategically sensible to cut them off before its too late?
