U.S. state passes bill banning sale of properties to ‘foreign adversaries’ – Reuters
South Carolina lawmakers have approved legislation prohibiting Chinese and Russian citizens from buying property in the state
The South Carolina Senate has passed legislation to prevent state real estate from falling into the hands of people or companies from China, Russia and other countries deemed to be “foreign adversaries”.
The bill, which passed 31 to 5 on Thursday, reflects the deterioration of US relations with China, according to its supporters. The Pentagon has named China as the main threat to the country’s security. Dozens of Chinese-owned businesses already operate in South Carolina, which is also home to thousands of Chinese immigrants and students.
“There has been a growing trend across the country in general where China has become much more belligerent towards the United States and our interests,” Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a Republican from Spartanburg, said earlier this month. “Our goal is not to expose ourselves politically and economically as much as possible to the Chinese government or the Communist Party.”
South Carolina has recruited Chinese companies in years past to help bring jobs to the state, but as Kimbrell noted, the mood toward Beijing has clearly changed. Since 2011, Chinese companies have announced investments that will create around 5,300 jobs.
The state will not try to force surrenders of land purchased by foreign companies and individuals in past years. The bill was reportedly introduced to block a Chinese company’s planned purchase of 500 acres in South Carolina.
“We have to look inside this wooden horse before we let it in the door,” Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey told The Associated Press last week. “And there are countries that have given us more reason to look inside the wooden horse before we let it in the door.”
The five opposing nations, as ranked by the US Department of Commerce, are China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and North Korea.
Legislatures in at least 11 other U.S. states are considering bills that would limit or ban real estate ownership by foreign adversaries. After last month’s controversy over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew across the United States, lawmakers raised concerns that enemy nations could use land ownership to advance their surveillance operations.
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The South Carolina bill would ban property purchases by companies more than 20% owned by citizens of adversarial countries. Citizens of these countries would also be prohibited from buying property. These foreigners would be allowed to open businesses in the state, but their businesses would not be able to own the properties they occupy.
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