The CCP threat remains high and we must be vigilant
Secretary Rollins explains how the US can stop China from buying up land in the US
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses how the Trump administration is addressing the Chinese land grab in the United States on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
This week, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a nationwide ban on farmland sales to Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries. At the same joint press conference, Defense Sec. Hegseth added that the Department of Defense would also work specifically to restrict the sale of other properties near American military bases.
As a former Army intelligence captain, this week’s announcement doesn’t just bring welcome news—it delivers a sigh of relief. After four years of weakness under the Biden administration, we finally have a commander-in-chief who isn’t afraid to confront the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) dangerous moves on American soil.
In recent years, Chinese nationals expanded their ownership of U.S. land to 265,000 acres. Even worse, Chinese entities have strategically purchased properties near 19 key military installations, including Fort Bragg and Fort Hood. They’ve also bought control of key industries vital to our food supply lines. In fact, China now controls the import of 70% of crop protection products that our farmers rely on to grow their crops. You don’t need to be an intelligence expert to see the inherent national security vulnerability that arises if we surrender key American industries to Chinese-backed companies.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES DECISIVELY TO BLOCK CHINA FROM ‘WEAPONIZING’ AMERICAN FARMLAND
Fortunately, several states like Georgia, Florida, and Texas have already stepped up to ban foreign land purchases, especially near military bases within their states. Now, the Trump administration is taking the fight nationally. Officials are cracking down on acquisitions across the country and taking the decisive steps needed to protect both our military infrastructure and American food security.
These concerns aren’t just hypothetical—they’re playing out in alarming ways.
Take, for example, the CEO of TP-Link, a Chinese state-sponsored networking company currently under intense federal scrutiny. Jianjun Zhao, a Chinese national, acquired at least two significant agricultural land parcels in California’s Silicon Valley and neighboring Monterey County. This is the same company whose Wi-Fi routers were the subject of a congressional hearing earlier this year, during which a member of Congress warned America not to use their routers and exposed how Chinese state-backed hackers use devices like TP-Link’s to pre‑position for potential cyberattacks on America’s critical infrastructure—our power grids, water systems, telecommunications networks, and more.
Today, TP-Link controls a staggering 65% of the U.S. home and small-business router market, allegedly achieved through predatory pricing. Now, with Zhao’s land purchases, we may be witnessing a troubling pattern: strategic acquisitions by Chinese nationals tied to entities under intense national security scrutiny, in regions of high infrastructure and economic sensitivity. This is exactly the type of threat the Trump administration’s new policies are designed to address—before it’s too late.
Make no mistake. President Trump isn’t just taking action against foreign ownership in the agriculture industry. He’s also addressing threats posed by TP-Link head on. Not only has the Trump administration launched a criminal antitrust investigation against TP-Link for alleged predatory pricing enabling it to dominate the US Wi-Fi market, but the administration is also considering banning TP-Link sales in the United States altogether as early as this calendar year as reported by The Wall Street Journal — a critically important step toward improving our national security posture.
Thankfully, Trump saw threats like this coming and made sure America was ready. During his first term, he had the foresight to establish the Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Authorities—a powerful mechanism designed to swiftly root out national security threats – such as those allegedly posed by TP-Link—from America’s internet and communications networks. Today, that bold move is paying dividends.
Of course, there will be many who still do not see the importance of taking action against Chinese threats. Others have recently adopted the bizarre claim that banning foreign ownership of key industries somehow "weaponizes racism." But no enemy of the United States—whether China or otherwise—has the right to own vast parcels of real estate or control key industries that threaten the security of the United States. Yesterday’s press conference sent the message loud and clear to our enemies abroad that the days of American complacency are over.
Make no mistake, the CCP threat remains high. Their spies are persistent, their hackers sophisticated, and their land purchases calculated. That's why we must continue investing in counterintelligence, bolstering our cybersecurity, and blocking foreign ownership of strategic assets. President Trump's leadership and decisiveness is breathing new life into a long-running push by the national security community to counter this threat from the CCP. We must demand vigilance, support policies that prioritize our security, and reject the complacency of the past. The Chinese threat is real and with new leadership in the White House, we're finally fighting back.
Jeremy Hunt, a West Point graduate, served as a U.S. Army intelligence captain. He’s now a media fellow at Hudson Institute and chairman of Veterans on Duty, a nonprofit organization focused on national security. Follow him on X @thejeremyhunt.
