>>23660716 Natalie Winters: Inside The Secret Meetings Between Chinese Spies And U.S. Agriculture Officials Helping China Buy FarmlandPN
EXC:Inside The Secret Meetings Between Chinese Spies And U.S. Agriculture Officials Helping China Buy Farmland
Americans selling out their own country 1/2
NATALIE WINTERS SEP 26,
A secretiveChicagomeeting ignored by the mainstream press brought several dozen Chinese Communist Party officials face-to-face with America’s agricultural leaders.
The U.S. Heartland China Association(USHCA) pitched it as a harmless “forum,” but the real agenda was far more consequential:embedding Beijing into U.S. agriculture, food, and healthcare systems.
The USHCA has a long history ofenabling the CCP takeover American farmland.
Held August 25, 2025, the “Heartland Connect for Trade and Investment” event was co-hosted with the China General Chamber of Commerce–Chicago (CGCCC).
Who Was There (And Who Wasn’t)
The press release admitsmore than 150 participants from 17 states and D.C, attended, while a Chinese delegation of 45 representatives== flew in from Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Liaoning, and Shaanxi. Senior representatives from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(CASS)and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
(CPAFFC) were present. Both organizations are well-documented instruments of Beijing’s espionage and influence strategy.
Among the Americans lending legitimacy to the gathering wereKim Norton, the mayor of Rochester, Minnesota, andNathaniel Booker, the mayor of Maywood, Illinois.
Even more troubling was thecorporate lineup. Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, moderated multiple panels — sitting side-by-side with CCP officials.
The organizationrefusesto publish a complete attendee list. There isno disclosureof who signed commitments, who brokered side deals, orwhich U.S. institutionsleft with new Chinese partnerships.Noticeably absent were watchdogs, critics, or any national-security voices.
This was not an open exchange. It was a carefully staged access point for CCP-linked groups to burrow deeper into America’s heartland.
The Influence Pipeline
USHCA’s own language betrays just how soft it is on China. The press release gushes: “Local leadership and regional collaboration are atthe heart of building resilient partnerships between the U.S. and China.
(https://nataliegwinters.substack.com/p/exc-inside-the-secret-meetings-between