DeSantis stated at the bill signing event in Hernando County, Florida, and at the press conference, “Today, the state of Florida made it very clear: We don’t want the CCP to enter the Sunshine State (another name for Florida). We want Keep Florida a free state. And that’s what these bills are about.”
“Florida really leads the nation in terms of what we’re doing to stop China’s influence,” he emphasized.
The Republican governor bluntly pointed out that Chinese authorities are “making a concerted effort to acquire farmland across the United States,” including in Florida, emphasizing that Beijing is chasing food supplies.
DeSantis pointed out, “Our food security is also national security. So we don’t want the CCP to control any food production.”
Chinese citizens are prohibited from owning any land in Florida
The new law prohibits Chinese nationals from buying land in Florida unless they are also U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Additionally, Chinese nationals cannot purchase land within 10 miles of any military installation or any type of critical infrastructure in Florida.
Florida Senate Bill 264 marks Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela as “countries of concern,” and their citizens cannot buy Florida land near critical infrastructure such as military bases, airports and power plants. However, only Chinese nationals will be prohibited from owning land anywhere in Florida.
China owns 352,140 acres of land in the United States in 2020, or about 1% of foreign-owned land, according to the Department of Agriculture. Canada is the largest foreign investor in U.S. land, with 12.4 million acres.
Last month, about 100 Chinese nationals with H-1B visas (work visas), including university professors and businessmen, testified against the bill. Many of them work in Florida, noting they won’t be able to buy a home. “Once they pass, I won’t be able to buy a house in Florida,” H-1B visa holder Zihua Hé said, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. “It’s part of my American dream.” .”
Other states, including Texas, are reportedly considering similar measures. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton has proposed national legislation that would call for a blanket ban on the purchase of real estate on U.S. soil by those with ties to China.
Ban TikTok, ban universities from accepting funding from Beijing, including exchange programs and double degrees
DeSantis also signed two other bills aimed at reducing China’s influence in Florida.
One of them bans the use of TikTok and other Chinese-originated apps on government and school-issued devices, servers and networks.
Another bill prohibits Florida State universities and colleges from accepting funding from “countries of foreign interest” or participating in partnerships with universities located in those countries unless certain conditions are met. The ban includes student and faculty exchange programs, as well as double degree programs.
The three bills passed both houses of the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support.
“We do recognize the threat, and we’re taking action,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis wants all U.S. states to follow Florida’s lead. “We really need a unified effort in this country to contain the Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions and its influence,” he said. “Part of that is maintaining our economic sovereignty.”
DeSantis’ tough stance on China comes amid speculation he will soon announce his 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
There has been speculation that he will announce his candidacy for the US presidency in the coming months. He recently completed a major event — a book tour to early-voting states in the U.S., which is considered a prelude to his presidential campaign. The Florida governor also just returned from a trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom to test his foreign policy credentials.
During that visit, DeSantis painted Washington’s relationship with China as a new Cold War and called for a U.S. military response — a vision he reiterated on Monday.
He said: “Our economy is dependent on China (the CCP), so it has been given more influence and more power. So we do need to maintain our economic sovereignty. Part of this is bringing the supply chain home and building a new model in China. We’re getting more out of this as we build our military, you know, I know this president (Biden) isn’t going to do it, but we need to do it.”