This week, the USDA, represented by Brooke Rollins, announced a nationwide prohibition on the sale of farmland to Chinese citizens and other foreign adversaries. This move was also discussed in a joint press conference with Hegseth, who pointed out that the Department of Defense would take measures to restrict property sales near U.S. military installations.
As a former Army Intelligence News Captain, I find this announcement to be more than just positive news; it brings a sense of relief. After four years of perceived weakness under the Biden administration, we finally have a Commander-in-Chief willing to address the troubling actions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on American soil.
In recent years, Chinese ownership of U.S. land has surged to 265,000 acres. Alarmingly, Chinese entities have strategically purchased properties near 19 major military installations, including Fort Bragg and Fort Hood. They’ve also taken control of crucial sectors tied to our food supply. Currently, China oversees 70% of the crop protection products essential for American farmers. It’s clear that we face substantial national security risks if we continue allowing major American industries to fall into the hands of Chinese-backed companies.
The Trump administration’s actions are vital to prevent China from “weaponizing” American farmland.
Lucky for us, several states—like Georgia, Florida, and Texas—have already enacted bans on foreign land purchases, particularly around military bases. The Trump administration is pursuing similar restrictions on a national scale. Authorities are stepping up enforcement to safeguard military infrastructures and U.S. food security.
These concerns aren’t just theoretical—they’re unfolding in real time.
Take, for example, TP-Link, a Chinese state-sponsored networking company currently under federal scrutiny. Its CEO, Jianjun Zhao, has gained ownership of at least two significant agricultural plots in California’s Silicon Valley and Monterey County. This is the same company that faced questions during a Congressional hearing earlier this year, where it was revealed that Congress members opted not to use their routers, suspecting they could be exploited for cyberattacks on critical American infrastructure.
TP-Link currently dominates about 65% of the U.S. home and small business router market, a situation alleged to have stemmed from predatory pricing strategies. With Zhao’s land acquisitions, we might be witnessing a concerning pattern—a systematic takeover by Chinese interests linked to entities under heavy national security investigation. This is precisely the kind of issue the Trump administration’s newly introduced policies aim to address before it becomes too late.
President Trump is not solely focused on foreign ownership in agriculture. He’s also tackling the concerns raised by TP-Link.
The Trump administration has initiated an antitrust investigation into TP-Link, suspecting predatory practices that allow them to monopolize the U.S. Wi-Fi market. There are even discussions about outright banning TP-Link sales this year, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Trump has recognized this threat, confirming that the U.S. is prepared to respond. During his first term, he set up information and communications technology and services (ICT) authorities, a critical framework designed to quickly act against national security risks linked to companies like TP-Link operating in U.S. networks. This proactive stance is proving beneficial today.
However, not everyone acknowledges the necessity of acting against the threats posed by China. Some have recently suggested that they would somehow curtail foreign ownership in key industries. But regardless of their stance, there is no justification for allowing adversarial nations to control critical real estate or industries that could jeopardize U.S. security. The press conference yesterday delivered a clear message: the era of complacency is over.
No doubt about it, the CCP threat remains significant. Their espionage efforts are extensive, their hacking techniques advanced, and their land acquisitions calculated. Hence, investing in counter-intelligence, improving cybersecurity, and restricting foreign ownership of key assets are imperative. President Trump’s resolute leadership reinvigorates long-standing initiatives from the national security community aimed at countering this CCP threat. We must maintain vigilance, support prioritization of security policies, and move past any sense of complacency. The threat from China is real, and with new leadership in place, we are finally taking action to address this issue.
