by Peter Caddle
A law that would ban Chinese citizens from purchasing certain types of farmland has been passed in the Texas Senate.
Chinese citizens may soon be banned from purchasing various types of farmland in Texas, with the state’s senate passing a bill on Wednesday aimed at banning the practice which has raised serious concerns in other parts of the U.S.
Senate Bill 147 aims to ban citizens of four nations deemed hostile to the United States — China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea — from purchasing farmland, with lawmakers fearing that the sale of such land to individuals hostile to America could jeopardise the country’s food security.
According to a report by Fox News, Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst justified the bill as necessary to ensure the U.S. can fend off foreign threats, with the bill also banning Chinese ownership of oil, timber, and mineral-bearing land.
“Food security is national security,” she told the American broadcaster. ” Oil and gas, our rare earth materials, timber – we need to be protecting that.”