In the battle against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), some actions taken by certain states in the United States are progressing faster than the national congress. State-elected officials believe they are taking actions against the CCP to compensate for some weaknesses in the Congress.
From Florida to Indiana, and to Montana, an increasing number of local legislatures have passed laws aimed at blocking Chinese individuals and companies from engaging in economic activities such as land purchases and factory establishments that involve US national security.
State legislatures in the United States are sometimes referred to as democratic laboratories for pioneering laws.
According to data from the information service organization BillTrack50.com, since early 2023, several states and the District of Columbia have collectively enacted 624 pieces of legislation related to China, a quantity comparable to the 663 bills passed by Congress.
On Wednesday, President Biden signed a bill including a provision that compels the Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok. Prior to this, over thirty states had already passed regulations banning the use of TikTok.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a state law in 2023 that restricts Chinese individuals from purchasing land in the state and prohibits the use of TikTok on state government devices.
“The Governor and state legislatures do have a responsibility to address the safety and protection of our citizens,” he said.
“Beijing has a very clear goal, which is to dominate the world, even at the expense of America,” he added.
Youngkin also halted a project for Ford Motor Company to establish a battery joint venture with Chinese company CATL in Virginia.
This event briefly became a headline in the US.
Youngkin stated he did not want Virginia taxpayers’ money to support Chinese technology.
Subsequently, Ford Motor Company shifted its focus to Michigan to prepare for a similar scaled-down project. However, this project also faced resistance locally.
Youngkin noted that issues such as land use are state-level decisions that can sometimes impact national security assets like the Pentagon.
From fentanyl importation to factory closures, job losses, the flying of Chinese spy balloons over the US in 2023, and the COVID pandemic, American public sentiment toward the CCP has grown increasingly negative.
A survey by the Pew Research Center in April 2023 showed that over 80% of Americans hold a negative view of Beijing, with about 40% considering China as an enemy rather than a competitor.
Despite the Biden administration repeatedly stressing that Communist China is a competitor and not seeking a new Cold War or hot war. However, the proportion of respondents holding a “very negative” view increased by 4% from 2022.
Another survey by Gallup in March 2023 similarly indicated that only 15% of Americans have favorable feelings toward Beijing, with 50% of Americans believing that Beijing is the United States’ top enemy.
In 2023, the city of Grand Forks in North Dakota prevented the Chinese food ingredient manufacturer Fu Feng Group from building a corn processing plant locally. The plant had promised to create 1,000 job opportunities in the area.
Some residents welcomed the prospects of increased employment and investment, while others opposed the plant due to Fu Feng’s relationship with the CCP. Some residents even displayed anti-Fu Feng slogans in their yards, including the communist sickle and hammer flag.
This small town with a population of only 59,000 became bustling due to this issue. City council meetings that used to discuss road designs and public utility projects suddenly turned into intense debates about communism and spy activities.
Amid escalating doubts and suspicions that the plant might be used by the CCP to monitor the nearby Grand Forks Air Force Base, the multi-million-dollar investment plan was scrapped.
Politicians had to find a balance between reconciling public sentiment and economic realities or, in other words, could only choose one.
Mayor Brandon Bochenski of Grand Forks stated in a policy statement that the city had a responsibility to take action because the federal government’s efforts in addressing the potential impact of the Fu Feng plant on national security were “slow and contradictory.”
Bochenski had previously supported Fu Feng’s plant investment plan.
The repercussions of the Fu Feng incident later spread to some other states. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order in 2023 referencing North Dakota, prohibiting companies associated with “foreign adversaries” recognized by the United States (including China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and North Korea) from conducting many activities in the state.
Fu Feng Group later identified a site for a plant in Indiana, but again faced a new state law challenge that prohibited Chinese and other companies designated as enemy nations from participating in agricultural land transactions.
One of the supporters of this legislation, Indiana Senator Jean Leising, stated that while corn growers welcomed the plant, some sacrifices were necessary.
She said, “Sometimes you have to make a decision between security and income.”
According to her estimates, this state law would impact Fu Feng Group and ten other Chinese investors, causing Indiana to lose $14 billion in revenue.
Fu Feng Group mentioned that the company is actively seeking alternative locations for its plant, moving next to Minnesota and Illinois.