DeSantis takes action to curb CCP influence, stop Chinese gov’t from buying Florida land
“Today, I took action to protect Floridians from the bad intentions of adversaries abroad, such as the Chinese Communist Party,” he wrote.
“This Legislative Session, I am proposing additional protections for our homeland against threats arrayed by those who seek our nation’s downfall,” DeSantis said.
In addition to prohibiting the Chinese government and other foreign actors from buying up agricultural land and property near military bases, DeSantis will urge congressmen to draft legislation protecting Floridians’ personal data from being captured by foreign-based tech companies.
The governor also wants lawmakers to bar universities from receiving gifts from China-affiliated entities or individuals, a concern that has grown after the Chinese government began exerting ideological influence on American schools through university “Confucius Institutes.”
In addition to handing down legislative proposals, DeSantis’ announcement also highlighted action he has already taken to halt the spread of Chinese Communist influence in the Sunshine State.
RELATED: DeSantis wants Florida’s state retirement funds to not invest in China-linked companies
On Thursday, DeSantis issued an executive order banning state and local government entities from acquiring technology products and services from any “companies owned by, controlled by, or located in China or other foreign countries of concern.”
“From server farms to farmland, the Communist Party of China has been worming its way into our nation’s data storage systems and buying up tracts of land near sensitive national security sites,” DeSantis said in a press release.
“By prohibiting the purchase of lands, state contracts with Chinese technology firms, and the infiltration of CCP-affiliated groups such as Confucius Institutes, Florida is leading the way to protect our nation from international foes,” he said.
DeSantis’ legislative actions come as Chinese investors, including those from Taiwan and Hong Kong, have become the largest group of foreign buyers to purchase land in the United States over the past decade, spending more than $188 billion in American land and property acquisitions since 2013.
Last year alone, Chinese buyers purchased a record $6.1 billion in U.S. real estate. According to the New York Post, Florida properties accounted for 24% of last year’s U.S. real estate purchases by international buyers.
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