Utah resident Jennica Pounds, also known as Data Republican on X, highlighted the concern after Israel was able to attack Iran from within the country's borders. "Serious question. After seeing what Israel did to Iran last night, why are we not taking back the CCP farmland TODAY?" Pounds wrote, citing a map from a New York Post report published last year showing that China owns farmland near 19 different US military bases across America.
The outlet last year was able to identify some of the most important military bases in the country that China has bought up land close to, including Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California; and MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
According to an NPR report from 2023, China owns over 380,000 acres of farmland in the United States, as they have been able to purchase food companies such as Smithfield Foods as well as other firms.
Morgan Lerette, a former contractor for the military, sounded the alarm over the Chinese owning so much land around military bases when speaking to the Post last year. “The Chinese are, or will, use this farmland to learn more about US military capabilities, movements, and technology," Lerette said.
“This will allow them to better understand how to transition their military from a defensive strategy to an expeditionary one,” he continued, adding they’ll figure out “how to move forces quickly for conflicts such as taking Taiwan and how and when US forces would respond to their incursions based on troop movement at these bases."
A 2023 Wall Street Journal report revealed that there had been as many as 100 incidents of Chinese nationals attempting to access military bases and other sensitive sites across the US in recent years. The outlet reported, "The incidents, which US officials describe as a form of espionage, appear designed to test security practices at US military installations and other federal sites."
Instances included Chinese nationals being caught crossing into a New Mexico missile range, apparent scuba divers in the waters near a Florida rocket launch site, and a group of Chinese nationals attempting to rush the gates at Fort Wainwright in Alaska, claiming to have reservations at a base hotel.
