A North Dakota mayor has vowed to stop the development of a Chinese corn mill which was slated to be built in his town – and adjoining a U.S. military base – over security concerns.
Mayor Brandon Bochenski of Grand Forks, North Dakota, announced last week his intention to stop the development of a Chinese-owned corn mill due to concerns voiced by the federal government.
The Chinese-owned Fufeng Group paid $2.3 million to purchase the 300 acres of land just 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base. The company plans to invest $700 million to open the mill.
AIR FORCE WARNS CHINESE COMPANY'S NORTH DAKOTA MILL WOULD BE ‘SIGNIFICANT’ NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
Bochenski said from the beginning, the town had been prepared to stop the project if there were national security concerns. But, getting an answer from the federal government on whether the mill would pose security risks took nearly 18 months, and an initial inquiry was met with a "lackluster response."
"It’s been a long process," he said. "We initially reached out to the FBI, then the CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) committee. They really came forth with a lackluster answer that left a lot of questions that needed to be answered."
Bochenski said the city also worked with the Air Force, who, after 16 months asked the city to stop construction of the mill.
"We were certainly surprised," he said. "We expected the federal government to do their job and do their quickly, and if they had concerns, communicate it to us."
North Dakota's senators last week released a letter they received from Air Force Assistant Secretary Andrew Hunter in which the military official warned against the Fufeng project.
In the letter, Hunter pointed to the proposed corn mill's proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base as a major risk.
"While [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] concluded that it did not have jurisdiction, the Department's view is unambiguous: the proposed project presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area," Hunter wrote.
IF BIDEN WON'T STOP LAND GRABS BY CHINA, CONGRESS WILL
Bochenski said the result is the federal government asking the city, which has a population of less than 100,000, to stop the project.
"The company will still own the land … they can legally own the land, but the federal government has also essentially asked us to stop them from building anything there," the mayor said.
North Dakota is not the only place the Chinese owns agriculture land. Chinese owners control at least $2 billion worth of agricultural land across the country, according to the USDA.
