China’s Ongoing Influence Efforts in the U.S.

The Chinese government has been strategically undermining the United States for years.

Under the first Trump administration, the U.S. recognized China as a “revisionist” force, aiming to create an environment that directly opposes American values and interests. The country, through various tactics, has engaged in intimidation, established illegal police stations on U.S. soil, and worked to sow discord through espionage and political destabilization. They’ve even launched multiple cyberattacks targeting American institutions and essential infrastructure.

One of the more concerning developments is China’s acquisition of significant amounts of important land across the United States.

“Arkansas was the first state in the nation to drive communist China out of its farmlands and state,” noted a local official.

Some states have begun to take bold actions against these encroachments.

In particular, Arkansas has stepped up its efforts to fend off Chinese communist influence. This initiative has drawn attention not only from Beijing but also from State Shield, a group focused on foreign influence, started by Joe Gebbia, a co-founder of Airbnb who joined the Department of Government Efficiency last year.

Active in over ten states, State Shield promotes policies aimed at countering Chinese influence, thus reinforcing regional and national security. Arkansas scored an impressive A+ on the first State Shield Scorecard for 2025 and recognized Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) as “Governor of the Year for National Security.”

Governor Sanders expressed pride in Arkansas’s progress, stating, “We didn’t just stop at driving out the communist influence from our agricultural lands.” She emphasized that the state has taken concrete actions to protect its land, data, and taxpayers from foreign threats. The acknowledgment of their efforts shows that strong state leadership can have a significant impact.

Looking ahead, future Scorecards will reflect annual evaluations of legislative activities. For now, the scorecard assesses work done from 2021 to 2025, during which Arkansas implemented various laws to restrict foreign influence.

For instance, last year, significant legislation was enacted that:

• Barred state funding for universities affiliated with Confucius Institutes or similar institutions tied to China, and prohibited state-sponsored investments in China.
• Prohibited companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party from leasing or owning land within a specific distance of critical infrastructure in Arkansas.
• Restricted universities from producing agricultural products or conducting sensitive research under contracts from prohibited foreign entities.

Governor Sanders has also taken steps, including executive orders, to further mitigate Chinese influence.

Among her notable actions, she issued an executive order in January 2023 aimed at protecting Arkansas’s information and communication technologies from foreign threats, which included prohibiting TikTok affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party on state networks.

These actions have not gone unnoticed in China. In response to Arkansas demanding a subsidiary of the Chinese agricultural giant ChemChina sell its land, the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times lamented about Sanders’ “undignified” rhetoric, asserting that she represents a failed political system. They warned that other conservative states might follow Arkansas’s lead, indicating the potential for widespread implications.

The State Shield scorecard suggests that Arkansas is at the forefront, but other conservative states, like Nebraska, are close on its heels.

Backtracking to earlier comments, Sanders has praised former President Trump’s hardline stance on China, stressing that his administration marked a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Communist China. She feels gratified to support Arkansas’s efforts to remove such influences from the state.