US policymakers are increasingly suspicious of Chinese land ownership in the United States’ farmland. Since 2011, Chinese investors have increased their agricultural land holdings in the United States by over 384,000 acres. Chinese land ownership poses challenges to national security and the U.S. agriculture industry. While their land holdings are only a fraction of a per cent of total U.S. land, scepticism of Chinese activity has encouraged regulation of foreign-owned American land.
Key Judgment 1: It is highly unlikely that Chinese land ownership will pose a national security threat to the United States in the next 24 months.
Key Judgment 2: Land ownership in the United States likely works to advance the Chinese Communist Party’s economic agenda in the next 24 months.
Key Judgment 3: It is unlikely that the United States government will eliminate Chinese land ownership in the United States in the next 24 months.
