Chinese-owned US farmland raises concerns of foreign drone attacks

Yahoo

03-06-2025

(NewsNation) — Chinese-owned farmland located near key U.S. military installations may be making the country more vulnerable to a Ukraine-style drone attack, officials warn.
There are currently nearly 370,000 acres of farmland the Chinese own. Several of those sites have been linked to the mysterious drone sightings that took place across the United States last fall.
After Ukraine destroyed 40 Russian targets with 177 drones over the weekend, the attack has reopened questions about how vulnerable the United States is to such an attack given the farmland's proximity to military bases that could be targeted if the U.S. was to ever undergo a similar strike to what took place in Russia over the weekend.
Russia severely limited after attack: Ex-Ukraine ambassador
Those military installations stretch across the U.S. and include Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, where a Chinese company, Fufeng, purchased farmland close to the base and announced plans to open a corn mill. The U.S. Air Force called the sale a threat to national security, and the sale was shut down, NewsNation previously reported.
However, NewsNation has learned that the company still owns the land, which extends over more than 300 acres, again raising concerns that the military base and others could be prone to a drone attack.
Several states have laws in place that prevent the Chinese from purchasing land. However, the challenge of monitoring potential sales is that the Chinese often use shell companies to purchase the land or use American residents to shield officials from learning who owns the land.
Over the last five years, Chinese ownership of U.S. land has increased by 55%. Almost three-quarters of that land is located in the southern United States.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.