DeSantis raises red flag over China's purchase of U.S. farmland

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised concerns about Chinese government-linked entities buying large tracts of U.S. farmland, a recent report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows.

DeSantis vowed to crack down on the "undue influence of rogue states" like China buying properties vital to the national economy.

The governor told Fox News that he did not believe that companies with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party should be able to buy U.S. real estate assets.

"I don't think they should be able to. I think the problem is that these companies have ties to the CCP, and it's a big problem," he added.

According to the report, Chinese real estate investors spent $6.1 billion on U.S. real estate during a 12-month period through last March, more than any other group of foreigners.

Florida accounted for 24% of all international real estate purchases in the U.S., while California ranked second with 11%.

DeSantis said he plans to push for a law that would limit the extent to which Chinese companies can invest in Florida pension funds.

"We want to make sure we're cutting ties, so we're not funding our number one adversary," the Republican governor said.

In 2019 the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Chinese-linked entities owned at least 192,000 acres of farmland worth more than $1.9 billion.