China's Growing Influence On US Farmland Sparks Trump Administration's Action Under National Farm Security Plan

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping crackdown on foreign ownership of American farmland, with a focus on entities from “countries of concern,” including China.

The move comes amid heightened national security concerns and escalating tensions between the US and China, the South China Morning Post reported.

Disclosing a new seven-part National Farm Security Action Plan on Tuesday (8 July), US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of seven agricultural contracts with foreign entities.

“Swift legislative and executive action” will follow to “ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries,” Rollins said, as quoted by SCMP.

“American agriculture is not just about feeding our families, but about protecting our nation and standing up to foreign adversaries who are buying our farmland, stealing our research and creating dangerous vulnerabilities,” she stated, calling China a “hostile regime.”

Rollins confirmed coordination with federal departments, including Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, and Justice, as well as state and local governments.

She also announced her appointment to the Treasury-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which oversees foreign transactions.

The announcement follows a broader US national trend: 45 bills restricting foreign property ownership, many aimed at Chinese buyers, are under consideration in 14 states, according to the Committee of 100.

In June, Texas enacted a law barring Chinese nationals from purchasing property, while similar efforts failed in Arizona.

Notable recent cases include the 2023 cancellation of a $700 million corn mill in North Dakota and the forced divestment by Syngenta of Arkansas farmland.

Rollins said a White House executive order on foreign land purchases is expected “very soon.”

Responding, Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said the US is “overstretching” national security and politicising trade.

Pengyu added that such moves “violate the principles of market economy and international trade norms, only to undercut international confidence in the US market environment.”

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