Three years ago, the Fufeng Group of China tried to purchase a piece of land just about a 20-minute drive from the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, utilizing loopholes in relevant U.S. regulations, almost succeeding in their attempt. This transaction set off alarm bells in Washington, D.C., prompting Congress and national security units to reexamine the review mechanism for foreign companies purchasing land around U.S. military bases.
Recently, the Senate Banking Committee introduced the “Protect Our Bases Act,” aiming to address the loopholes in the current mechanism and ensure that Chinese-related companies are unable to acquire land near sensitive U.S. military facilities. Tim Scott, the proposer of the bill and chairman of the Banking Committee, told the New York Post, “The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to infiltrate and monitor various levels of the U.S. national security system, and our national security agencies must remain highly vigilant at all times.”
He emphasized, “This bill will strengthen the government’s review of foreign companies and individuals purchasing land around crucial U.S. military bases, and ensure that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has access to vital information necessary to safeguard national security.”
Under normal circumstances, the CFIUS investigates investment transactions of foreign companies and individuals in the U.S. and makes recommendations to the government on which transactions should be blocked. However, the CFIUS stated that it could not review the Fufeng Group’s land purchase case at the time because the U.S. Department of Defense did not classify the base as a critical national security facility.
In the end, the city of Grand Forks thwarted the land purchase deal. However, experts believe that this incident exposed policy loopholes in the U.S. regarding preventing Chinese companies from purchasing land near military facilities.
The land, over 300 acres, that caught the Fufeng Group’s interest was adjacent to a highway and near light industrial facilities in the city outskirts. Besides soil and tall wild grass, there was almost nothing there, with its closest neighbors being a crop production company, a truck and trailer service company, a backyard landscaping supply company, and the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Not only does the base deploy the most advanced U.S. military drone technology, but it also serves as the network center for global U.S. military communications.
Therefore, the new Senate bill mandates that the CFIUS and other relevant agencies update information on sensitive military facilities annually and report related real estate listings to Congress regularly.
At the same time, Washington has warned London that allowing the Chinese company Mingyang Intelligent Energy to establish a factory in the UK could pose national security risks.
A U.S. official told the Financial Times that the Trump administration has expressed concerns to the UK government regarding Mingyang’s provision of equipment for the North Sea Wind Farm in Scotland. While Mingyang is a private enterprise and not state-owned, there are concerns that Beijing could potentially influence its decision-making.
Previously, there was controversy between the UK and another Chinese steel company, Jingye Group, prompting the government to adopt a more cautious attitude towards Mingyang’s involvement in the UK offshore wind supply chain. Discussions are ongoing within relevant departments on whether to block Mingyang’s investment, with ministers having the authority to reject foreign investments under the UK’s national security law, although opinions are currently divided.
A spokesperson for the UK government declined to comment on the Mingyang case but emphasized that the UK “will not allow anything to compromise our national security” and stated that investments in the energy sector will undergo the highest level of national security scrutiny.
The U.S. has recently expressed concerns multiple times over China’s actions in the UK, including allowing Beijing to construct a new embassy in London. The Financial Times noted that these activities are taking place as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to improve relations with China.
U.S. security officials warn that wind turbines manufactured by China may contain embedded electronic monitoring technology, especially worrisome when these devices are located near military bases. Washington has also expressed concerns to Berlin regarding allowing Mingyang to operate in Germany.
Mingyang has not previously manufactured wind turbines in the UK but is in discussions with several developers to supply floating offshore wind turbines for projects in the North Sea and Celtic Sea, including the Green Volt project and projects developed by Cerulean Winds. Additionally, Mingyang has signed a priority supply agreement with the Swedish developer Hexicon for the Celtic Sea floating wind project. These collaborations are expanding Mingyang’s presence in the European offshore wind sector.