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Exclusive: Chinese Spy Balloon Renews GOP Push for Foreign Land Purchase Ban

February 3, 2023 by Katherine Hamilton Leave a Comment

The news of a Chinese spy balloon floating through American airspace has bolstered Republican calls to focus on national security — including from Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), who is proposing a foreign land purchase moratorium to protect U.S. food security and stabilize housing prices.

Congresswoman Miller is set to reintroduce a bill on Monday entitled the ‘‘Saving American Farms from Adversaries Act.” The legislation would give the president power to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate in the United States “by any foreign person,” including corporations and partnerships, for the five-year period after the enactment of the law. Breitbart News learned exclusively of the bill’s introduction on Friday, and was first to report the bill last year when Miller introduced it with now-retired Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).

“Our adversaries continue to rob our country of wealth and prosperity under Joe Biden’s weak leadership. Congress must respond to the critical economic and national security threats China poses to our nation because Joe Biden refuses to put America’s safety and best interests first,” Miller said of the bill, which will be her first of the 118th Congress. 

Leland Wells / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX

The bill points out that Chinese nationals have “led foreign investments in homes in the United States for the past seven years.” Miller’s bill notes that “foreign companies and individuals have purchased 853,813 acres of agricultural land” in her own state of Illinois, — purchases that are “worth approximately $6.3 billion.”

“We must put American farmers and consumers first and prevent China from buying up our farmland,” Miller told Breitbart News. “As a farmer, I know that foreign land purchases are especially an issue in rural America where the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to buy land in our country to gain strategic leverage over the United States and our food supply.”

Republicans at the state level have also been sounding the alarm on foreign land purchases, as Chinese companies continue to try to purchase land near U.S. military bases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), and Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott have all said they are considering blocking China from buying American farmland. Former President Donald Trump has also made the issue part of his early 2024 presidential campaign by pitching a federal proposal to block China from buying American farmland.

Miller Bill by Breitbart News on Scribd

According to the legislation, foreign investors now account for almost one-third of institutional investments in single-family rental homes in the United States. Breitbart News previously reported how global investors are “gobbling up” middle-class suburban homes, “enriching wealthy investors and turning would-be homeowners into lifetime, no-equity renters.”

The legislation also states that increased foreign investment in urban areas has led to a rise in gentrification. This is “pushing many long-time residents out of their homes, including some of our most vulnerable and poor communities,” according to the bill. Additionally, “roughly 47 percent of rural renters pay a third or more of their income in rent each month. The Federal government has done nothing to help rural Americans deal with the rising costs in housing.”

Miller said the “misguided effort to attract foreign investment” is “destroying the American dream for millions” and pointed to other countries that have similar laws that limit foreign land purchases.

“For example, in Macedonia foreign citizens cannot purchase agricultural land and may only lease. In Poland, foreign individuals need permission from the Ministry of International Affairs to purchase land. Mexico too has restrictions in place that put limits on foreigners’ ability to purchase land. Vast foreign land purchases of American land hurts rural and urban communities alike,” she said. 

“We have an inherent responsibility to put our own citizens first, and Americans are clearly not benefiting from the current system. Again, our laws are currently designed in a way that benefits large multinational companies over everyday Americans,” she continued. 

Chase Doak via Storyful

The bill further calls for the EB-5 visa system, which allows foreign nationals to obtain green cards if they invest in specific business ventures, to be made “more stringent,” and states that the rules of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) need to be “more strict.”

The Comptroller General of the United States would be required to submit a report to Congress six months after the enactment of the bill detailing the history of foreign public and private real estate purchases located in the U.S. The comptroller general would also be required to make recommendations as to how “to make it easier for United States citizens and harder for foreign persons to purchase real estate located in the United States, including farm land,” and to provide a percentage of real estate located in the U.S. that is owned by foreign persons. 

Miller ended by warning lawmakers to “take the threat of China’s provocation seriously” and called out President Joe Biden for pushing “his America Last Agenda.” 

“Biden continues to push his America Last Agenda with an open southern border, continuous funding for Ukraine, Chinese-manufactured batteries, and Green New Deal policies,” Miller said.

“Our country should be united on the issue of national security because we have an inherent responsibility to put our own citizens first. America is on a dangerous path of losing our self-sufficiency in farming, and we must take the threat of China’s provocation seriously by passing the Saving American Farms from Adversaries Act,” she concluded. 

Filed Under: Asia, Biden Administration, Breitbart, CCP, China, Chinese spy balloon, Espionage, Food Security, House Republicans, Mary Miller, Montana, National Security, News, NORAD, On the Hill, Pentagon, Politics, Spying, surveillance

China Claims Spy Balloon Is for ‘Meteorology,’ Just Like Its South China Sea Missile Bases

February 3, 2023 by John Hayward Leave a Comment

After initially denying any knowledge of the huge spy balloon floating over Montana, the Chinese government on Friday claimed it was a “civilian” aircraft intended for “meteorological research” that was blown off course into American airspace.

China has a long history of claiming its provocative military moves are merely research projects, particularly for meteorology.

China’s favorite tactic for pressing its illegal claims across the South China Sea is to drive away ships from competing powers like the Philippines, often using huge swarms of paramilitary “fishing boats” that carry as many rifles as they do fishing poles, and then artificially enhance the size of tiny islets until they are large enough to support military bases.

When the Chinese are called out for militarizing islands in disputed waters, they usually respond by claiming they are innocently conducting “marine meteorological monitoring, warning, forecasting, prediction, and scientific research.”

In 2015, during the early stage of its militarization projects in the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands, China claimed it just wanted “meteorological facilities” in the islands so it could helpfully provide better weather reports for the South China Sea region.

Chinese dictator Xi Jinping made a public promise in September 2015 that China would not “pursue militarization” of the artificial islands it was developing, even as satellite photos revealed military-grade airstrips and military barracks appearing on the artificially-enhanced reefs.

Buildings and structures are seen on the artificial island built by China in Gaven Reefs on October 25, 2022 in Spratly Islands, South China Sea. China has progressively asserted its claim of ownership over disputed islands in the South China Sea by artificially increasing the size of islands, creating new islands and building ports, military outposts and airstrips. The South China sea is an important trade route and is of significant interest as geopolitical tensions remain high in the region. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Buildings and structures are seen on the artificial island built by China in Gaven Reefs on October 25, 2022 in Spratly Islands, South China Sea. China has progressively asserted its claim of ownership over disputed islands in the South China Sea by artificially increasing the size of islands, creating new islands and building ports, military outposts and airstrips. The South China sea is an important trade route and is of significant interest as geopolitical tensions remain high in the region. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

In 2020, China inaugurated two “research stations” at the Fiery Cross and Subi Reefs, which were ostensibly intended to monitor conservation projects, reef ecology, geological disasters, pollution, and freshwater conservation.

The reefs are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan, but China increased their size and then completely covered them with buildings – an impressive engineering feat completed while the entire world grappled with the Wuhan coronavirus.

Critics noted the huge and hasty construction project would have inflicted considerable ecological damage on the reefs, which was not easily squared with China’s insistence that it built those structures to monitor the local ecology.

The Philippines lodged a formal diplomatic protest with China over the Fiery Cross Reef development project, quoting Xi’s broken promise that Beijing would not militarize the islands. Philippine officials noted Fiery Cross Reef was now militarized enough to threaten nearby oil and gas drilling interests.

In March 2022, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said that China has fully militarized three of the artificial islands it built in disputed waters – including Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef.

Aquilino said the islands are now bristling with “missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems, and other military facilities,” none of which are normally involved in meteorological research.

Aquilino called it the “largest military buildup since World War II.”

“The function of those islands is to expand the offensive capability of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] beyond their continental shores. They can fly fighters, bombers plus all those offensive capabilities of missile systems,” he said.

In May 2020, commercial satellite photos revealed Chinese military helicopters and surveillance aircraft landing on Fiery Cross Reef. The hangars at the airport were now large enough to hold jet fighters and bombers. An amphibious transport ship was docked at the artificially enhanced island’s harbor, which is deep enough to accommodate warships.

China also likes to send “research vessels” on provocative cruises into waters claimed by other nations. In the summer of 2022, a large Chinese “research vessel” called the Yuan Wang was accused of spying by both the U.S. and Indian governments. India’s complaints were serious enough to delay the Yuan Wang’s planned docking in Sri Lanka by a week, and the ship was only allowed to dock after promising not to conduct any “research” in Sri Lankan waters.

Another dubious Chinese “research vessel” is the Zhu Hai Yun, a 292-foot ship built with the intention of conducting “marine science” in the South China Sea. Skeptics say the ship can map the regional seafloor to give an advantage to Chinese submarines, while it carries a swarm of A.I.-controlled drones that would give it troubling surface and air surveillance capabilities.

Filed Under: Asia, Breitbart, China, Chinese spy balloon, Fiery Cross reef, missiles, National Security, News, South China Sea, Spratly Islands, surveillance

China Claims Alleged Spy Balloon Is ‘Civilian Airship’ Researching Weather

February 3, 2023 by John Hayward Leave a Comment

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday initially denied any knowledge of the huge surveillance balloon floating through American airspace, then claimed it was a weather research “airship.”

The Pentagon responded to baffled questions about why the incredibly well-funded U.S. military was unable to detect, thwart, or destroy the balloon by claiming that attacking it could jeopardize people on the ground in Montana.

Photo from KSVI-TV shows a massive Chinese spy balloon over Montana. The U.S. military is tracking it pic.twitter.com/BWUBERWO1J

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 2, 2023

“I have noted relevant reports. We are gathering and verifying the facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said when asked about the balloon.

“China is a responsible country and we always act in accordance with international law. We have no intention to violate the territory or airspace of any sovereign country,” she insisted.

“As I said, we are gathering and verifying the facts. We hope both sides can handle the matter together in a cool-headed and prudent manner,” she said.

Mao said she had “no comment” about whether the balloon incident would affect U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to China.

Later on Friday morning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement that claimed the balloon was a “civilian airship” conducting meteorological research that “deviated far from its planned course” due to strong winds.

“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the Foreign Ministry said, indicating the flight path of the balloon was beyond the control of its operators.

The Pentagon said on Thursday it was “confident” the large white balloon drifting over Montana with a hefty payload of electronics suspended beneath it was a surveillance craft of Chinese origin.

Pentagon officials said they had “urgently” contacted Chinese officials about the balloon and alerted President Joe Biden. On Friday, a U.S. official said the administration was in direct contact with Beijing at “multiple levels,” and the State Department summoned a Chinese official to file a formal complaint.

According to CBS News, President Biden wanted to shoot the balloon down, but advisers, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, recommended against “kinetic action” because the balloon seemed to pose no immediate threat, and debris from an interception could endanger people on the ground.

The Associated Press

President Joe Biden listens during a meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and other military leaders in the Cabinet Room the White House, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Another senior official told Fox News that the weight of the equipment hanging from beneath the balloon raised concerns that shooting it down would create a large debris field.

CBS’s sources said shooting the balloon down might still be an option when it reaches a safe area. The balloon is apparently capable of maneuvering itself but is largely at the mercy of high-altitude winds. As of Friday morning, it was holding an altitude of about 66,000 feet.

“Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration. We acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” a senior administration official told NBC News, without producing any supporting accounts of American citizens watching giant Chinese spy balloons float over their heads during the Trump administration.

“Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means. Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information,” the official said. PRC stands for People’s Republic of China, the name preferred by the Chinese Communist regime.

“We are tracking it in minute detail in real time and we will constantly update our assessment. We are in constant surveillance of this thing through a bunch of different means,” the official promised.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assessed the balloon “does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground at this time,” and said it is “currently traveling at altitude well above commercial traffic.”

NORAD said the Canadian Armed Forces and “other partners” are monitoring the flight of the balloon, and Canada is “ taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.”

The potential second incident appears to be a second balloon detected by the Canadians that is on course for U.S. airspace, although that report was tentative as of Friday morning:

🚨 BREAKING: Canada has detected a second Chinese spy balloon that is heading toward the United States. pic.twitter.com/efIYZh48FA

— Upward News (@UpwardNewsHQ) February 3, 2023

President Biden himself refused to answer questions from reporters about the balloon on Thursday afternoon.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Thursday the balloon showed “China’s brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty” and was a “destabilizing action that must be addressed.”

“President Biden cannot be silent,” McCarthy said. “I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing.” The Gang of Eight is a bipartisan group of leaders from the House and Senate who receive classified briefings from the executive branch. As Speaker, McCarthy is one of the members. 

An unnamed defense official told Fox News on Friday the Gang of Eight briefing was delivered as McCarthy requested.

“You did see reports yesterday of a ground stop at Billings Airport and the mobilization of a number of assets, including F-22 [sic]. The context for that was that we put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana,” the official told Fox News.

“We wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn’t drive the risk down low enough. So we didn’t take the shot,” the official said.

The new House Select Committee on China also weighed in on Friday, with a statement from leaders Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) declaring “the Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace.”

“Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinken’s trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCP’s recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy,” the committee leaders said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the 77th United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Pool Photo via AP)

“Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores – it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat,” they warned.

Leland Wells / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX

Bemused residents of Billings, Montana – a state that happens to contain major Air Force bases and nuclear missile silos – watched a balloon the size of three buses drift overhead, temporarily grounding flights at Billings-Logan International Airport. 

Some Montanans wondered why nothing was done to prevent the slow-moving, highly visible craft from penetrating American national airspace, while others shrugged it off as yet another example of the constant surveillance everyone in the world is subjected to.

“Seems invasive. That’s kind of our world today, I mean there are cameras everywhere. Like you can’t go unnoticed anywhere. You talk about what cereal you need to buy at the grocery store in front of your Alexa and all of a sudden your ads are cereal ads, you know,” mused Montana resident Shelby Fossum.

Filed Under: Asia, Breitbart, Canada, China, Chinese spy balloon, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Gallagher, Montana, National Security, News, NORAD, Pentagon, Raja Krishnamoorthi, surveillance

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