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Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Chinese-linked firms buy up land close to key US military bases
A chilling new national security alert has been sounded as Chinese-linked firms buy up land alarmingly close to key US military bases - raising fears that America is leaving itself exposed to drone and commando attacks in the event of war. The warning comes amid a wave of innovative military tactics on display in recent months, including Ukraine's deep-strike drone assaults inside Russian territory and Israel's daring sabotage raids on Iranian nuclear sites. Now, experts say the US homeland could be vulnerable to the same type of attack - an unpredictable and devastating lighting strike by commandos and drones - launched from Chinese-controlled properties right under our noses. Swaths of farmland, mines and other sites in states including North Dakota , Texas and Florida have been quietly acquired by companies with links to Beijing - some just a stone's throw from Air Force and Army bases housing top-secret military gear. 'After Ukraine's drone operation in Russia and Israel's operation in Iran, it is obvious that America's enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil,' Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department advisor and president of Polaris National Security , told the Daily Mail. 'It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land - especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure.' Others note that while the US and China are competitors, any differences can be tackled diplomatically. In this vein, the two countries on Friday announced they had resolved issues around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets. But according to Noronha, China many already have commando-and-drone teams hidden in freight units on US soil ready to strike anything from a military base to an arms cache, communications relay or military research hub. More likely, he added, they are buying up land so they can gather intelligence and lay the groundwork for such operations in the future - the discovery of a Chinese commando team on US soil would itself spark a crisis. Even so, a US-China conflict could be scarily close. Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly wants his forces to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027 in a move that could draw a fierce American response and kickstart World War III. 'Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime,' added Noronha. He and others say recent strikes by Israel and Ukraine are the new face of warfare. It's one of surgical drone strikes, covert commandos, cyber sabotage and pinpoint chaos that other forces will copy in the future. In June, Ukraine unleashed Operation Spiderweb, launching cheap drones from trucks it had smuggled into Russia to destroy Russian warplanes worth hundreds of millions of dollars - it was a morale-boosting win in their three-year war. Also in June, Israeli commandos launched explosive drones to strike air-defense radars, communication nodes and other targets in a series of coordinated strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, backed up by warplanes and airstrikes. Military experts say these game-changing tactics have redefined the rules of modern war, and will be studied by top brass in Washington, Beijing, Moscow, London and beyond as a guide for waging future conflicts. The Pentagon is understood to be especially alarmed, given the scale of Chinese land purchases in the US in recent years. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) investment in farmland has surged by 1,900 percent over the last decade - going from $81 million in 2010 to a whopping $1.8 billion in 2021, a congressional investigation found. Foreign entities and individuals own roughly 43 million acres of US agricultural land , nearly 2 percent of all US land, according to government data. China owns over 350,000 acres in 27 states, the admin claims. Much of this land is either farmland or plots close to military installations. To address this, US President Donald Trump's agencies are launching an effort to stop the CCP and its entities from purchasing land in the US or getting involved in any businesses that supply food to Americans. In February, Trump signed a memorandum that restricts 'Chinese investments in strategic US sectors like technology, critical infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, energy, raw materials and others.' Security hawks are currently alarmed by a looming transfer in Arizona of Tonto National Forest land, known as Oak Flat, to Resolution Copper, which plans to mine what it says is the second-largest known copper deposit in the world. The mining outfit is a subsidiary of international mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto - a British and Australian company that has Chinese state-owned aluminum company Chinalco as a main shareholder (about 11.2 percent voting interest). One analyst, a former congressional aide who spoke to the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, said the mine would give 'Chinese nationals a cover for being at the site,' which is some 100 miles east of Luke Air Force Base. 'And it offers a footprint on which clandestine capabilities - think 20 ft container filled with drones like Op Spider Web - might be stored without raising alarms,' he added. Meanwhile, Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State, says the mining deal, which could be finalized within months, risks empowering Chinalco to route strategic copper exports back to China. 'Picture that. America's natural wealth being shipped off to our chief adversary at a moment when the CCP perpetrates economic, political and technological warfare against us daily,' Blackwell wrote in a piece published on Breitbart. 'This is a reckless move that compromises our economic and national security.' The mine's general manager Vicky Peacey downplayed China's involvement in the project, saying Rio Tinto had operated in the US for more than 150 years and was led by European, Australian and US shareholders. The mine 'can help secure the nation's energy future, support American jobs and reduce reliance on foreign sources for this critical mineral,' she said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
National security and China experts are warning that Israel's attack on Iran is an example of why Beijing's efforts to purchase land and other assets within the United States need to be stopped immediately. After the initial attacks began on Friday, news reports began surfacing indicating that Israel had secretly built a drone base on Iranian soil that it used to launch its attacks. The operation was years in the making, one Israeli security official told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that weapons systems and soldiers had been smuggled into the country ahead of time. "Look at the ways Israel penetrated Iran for sabotage operations. Now look at the Chinese companies and assets permeating the US power grid (solar converters), local law enforcement (DJI drones), and social media (TikTok)," China policy expert Michael Sobolik wrote in a post on X. "The CCP is preparing to paralyze us in a crisis." The Real Implications Of The Chinese Fungus Smuggling Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, also drew parallels between the China land grab in the United States and the recent Ukrainian drone strike that decimated a significant portion of Russia's air fleet. The attack reportedly involved drones smuggled into Russia and released near airfields. "After Ukraine's drone operation in Russia and Israel's operation in Iran, it is obvious that America's enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil," Noronha said. "It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land - especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure. Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime." Read On The Fox News App After Ukraine's Surprise Drone Assault On Russia, New Attention Drawn To Sensitive Sites Stateside Officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm for years now about China's efforts to purchase land near military bases, and other strategic assets that could help them sabotage the country. Just recently, the Arizona legislature passed a bill meant to block Chinese entities from obtaining more than a 30% stake in Arizona real estate, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. According to the bill's sponsor, China had recently been trying to lease property near a major Air Force base in the state. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats, warned Friday that if the United States does not get serious about interrupting China's asset grab, it risks losing a war with them. He said land grabs are just the "tip of the iceberg." "CCP land ownership is bad but it's tip of the iceberg," Lucci said. "Their industrial property holdings are worse, as is their port access. Perhaps worst of all is their deep penetration of critical infrastructure and govt systems." "I now understand the potential problem of the Chinese government owning land in America," added writer and podcast host Jamie article source: Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
Fox News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
National security and China experts are warning that Israel's attack on Iran is an example of why Beijing's efforts to purchase land and other assets within the United States need to be stopped immediately. After the initial attacks began on Friday, news reports began surfacing indicating that Israel had secretly built a drone base on Iranian soil that it used to launch its attacks. The operation was years in the making, one Israeli security official told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that weapons systems and soldiers had been smuggled into the country ahead of time. "Look at the ways Israel penetrated Iran for sabotage operations. Now look at the Chinese companies and assets permeating the US power grid (solar converters), local law enforcement (DJI drones), and social media (TikTok)," China policy expert Michael Sobolik wrote in a post on X. "The CCP is preparing to paralyze us in a crisis." Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, also drew parallels between the China land grab in the United States and the recent Ukrainian drone strike that decimated a significant portion of Russia's air fleet. The attack reportedly involved drones smuggled into Russia and released near airfields. "After Ukraine's drone operation in Russia and Israel's operation in Iran, it is obvious that America's enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil," Noronha said. "It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land - especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure. Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime." Officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm for years now about China's efforts to purchase land near military bases, and other strategic assets that could help them sabotage the country. Just recently, the Arizona legislature passed a bill meant to block Chinese entities from obtaining more than a 30% stake in Arizona real estate, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. According to the bill's sponsor, China had recently been trying to lease property near a major Air Force base in the state. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats, warned Friday that if the United States does not get serious about interrupting China's asset grab, it risks losing a war with them. He said land grabs are just the "tip of the iceberg." "CCP land ownership is bad but it's tip of the iceberg," Lucci said. "Their industrial property holdings are worse, as is their port access. Perhaps worst of all is their deep penetration of critical infrastructure and govt systems." "I now understand the potential problem of the Chinese government owning land in America," added writer and podcast host Jamie Weinstein.
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Time is running out to stop Iran from making nuclear bomb: 'Dangerous territory'
President Donald Trump on Monday said the situation with Iran is entering "dangerous territory" as he announced his administration would be talking to Iran on Saturday. While it's not yet known what the talks will achieve, experts continue to warn that time is running out to not only block Iran's nuclear program but to utilize existing tools to counter Tehran's dismissal of international law, a mechanism known as "snapback" sanctions. "This is the one time that we have the ability to sort of put new sanctions on Iran where we don't need Russia and China's help, and we can just do it unilaterally," Gabriel Noronha of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America told Fox News Digital. Noronha is an Iran expert and former special advisor for the Iran Action Group at the State Department. The ability to employ snapback sanctions on Iran expires Oct. 18, 2025, which coincides with when Russia will lead the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency for its rotational one-month stint. The provision for snapback sanctions was enacted under UNSC Resolution 2231, which was agreed to just days after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 as a way to ensure that if Iran was found to be violating the nuclear deal, stiff international sanctions could once again be reimposed. The JCPOA has increasingly been considered a collapsed agreement after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 under the first Trump administration, followed by increasingly flagrant violations by Iran of the nuclear deal. This has culminated in the rapid expansion of Tehran's nuclear program and the assessment by the U.N. nuclear watchdog earlier this year that Tehran had amassed enough near-weapons-grade uranium to develop five nuclear weapons if it were to be further enriched. European nations for years have refused to enact snapback sanctions in a move to try and encourage Tehran to come back to the negotiating table and diplomatically find a solution to end its nuclear program. Any participant in the JCPOA can unilaterally call up snapback sanctions if Iran is found to have violated the terms of the agreement. But the U.S., which has been calling for snapbacks since 2018, was found by the U.N. and all JCPOA members to no longer be legally eligible to utilize the sanction mechanism after its withdrawal from the international agreement. But as Iran continues to develop its nuclear program, the tone among European leaders has also become increasingly frustrated. France's foreign minister last week suggested that if Iran did not agree to a nuclear deal and halt its program, then military intervention appeared "almost inevitable." "Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reportedly told France's Parliament on Wednesday. "Our priority is to reach an agreement that verifiably and durably constrains the Iranian nuclear program," he added. It remains unclear how much longer European nations will attempt to hold out for discussions with Iran, as Trump has said he is becoming fed up with Tehran and has threatened direct military confrontation, even while he has made clear his administration's willingness to discuss a deal with Tehran. With France serving as UNSC president in April and the bureaucratic red tape Russia could employ, UNSC members supportive of blocking Iran's nuclear program must immediately call up snapback sanctions, Noronha said. "It takes about six weeks to actually be implemented properly," said Noronha, author of "Iran Sanctions, U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, and the Path to Snapback," which was released last week. "And second, because the distribution of the presidencies and leadership of the U.N. Security Council is weighted towards more favorable leaders right now in the spring before it goes to pretty adversarial leadership in the summer and fall." The expert said this is a rare moment for the UNSC, which in recent years has become increasingly ineffective in accomplishing major geopolitical wins because it is generally divided between the U.S., U.K. and France on one side and Russia and China on the other. A single veto is enough to block a resolution being enacted, and progress in the council has become stagnant following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But even if Russia objects to reimposing sanctions on Iran, as Tehran has become a close ally of Moscow's, it actually has very few options for blocking the snapback mechanism that it previously agreed to, so long as at least one other nation actually calls for the sanction tool. "This is the only time this has ever happened at the U.N. before," Noronha said. "They basically said, when we invoke snapback, what it does is it says U.N. sanctions will automatically return unless there's a vote by the council to unanimously allow sanctions relief to remain on the books." The snapback mechanism would legally enforce all 15 UNSC member nations to reimpose sanctions on Iran, including Russia and any nation that may be sympathetic to Tehran. If the snapback mechanism expires come October, the U.N.'s hands will likely be tied when it comes to countering Iran's nuclear program, as it is unlikely any new resolutions on the issue will be able to pass through the council given the current geopolitical climate between the West and Russia.
