Chinese billionaire Chen Tianqiao, an alleged CCP member, reportedly owns 198,000 acres of Oregon timberland, the Daily Mail reports.
According to the outlet, the $85 million purchase makes Tianqiao the second-largest foreign owner of American land.
“The sale went through in 2015, but only became widespread knowledge on Monday after Oregon tax records unveiled one of Chen’s companies as the beneficial owner,” Daily Mail noted.
CCP Billionaire’s purchase of Oregon timberland is missing from records.
Purchase of 200,000 acres not shown on foreign list.https://t.co/rdLWoVbpmX
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 14, 2024
STOP THIS NOW!! CCP member and Chairman Mao admirer Chen Tianqiao’s $85MILLION purchase of Oregon timberland is missing from government records, alarming lawmakers: Is now second-largest foreign owner of US land | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/gcU4yRpQxG
— The TRUMP PAGE 🇺🇸 (@MichaelDeLauzon) January 14, 2024
Per Daily Mail:
The 50-year-old is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has held executive roles in CCP-affiliated organizations and is an admirer of Chairman Mao, according to multiple Chinese media reports.
He also owns a $39million Manhattan mansion and a $25million Los Angeles estate, while his Oregon land grab makes him the largest Chinese owner of US real estate.
Yet it does not appear anywhere in government records of agricultural land ownership by foreign investors, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The revelation that a billionaire from a hostile nation has been able to own such a huge swathe of US land for eight years without it appearing in official reports intended to track such acquisitions has sparked consternation across the political divide.
Senators have accused the Biden administration of failing to keep tabs on Chinese investment, raising the prospect that its scale could be much larger than first thought.
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik accused officials of ‘dropping the ball’ on the matter.
‘Food security is national security. We cannot protect our agricultural land from foreign adversaries if we do not know they are purchasing it,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘The Biden Administration’s failure to perform due diligence is inexcusable.’
LAND GRAB: CCP Party Member the Second Largest Foreign Owner of U.S. Land; Report
“Chen Tianqiao, the founder, chairman and CEO of global investment firm Shanda Group, owns approximately 200,000 acres of land…”https://t.co/hdBbJuXoHp
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) January 11, 2024
Chen Tianqiao’s purchase of 200K Oregon acres sparks outrage https://t.co/xs9FgP8vAC
— Brie Grey 🇺🇸 🔥❄️ (@brigrey1005) January 14, 2024
“Communist China is purchasing US agricultural land to subvert our sovereignty, undermine our agriculture industry, encroach on our military installations, and upend America’s rural communities,” Stefanik told the New York Post.
The New York Post added:
Last year, Stefanik and other members of Congress fired off a letter to the US Department of Agriculture, urging the agency to increase its vigilance over foreign ownership of farmland.
“Food security is national security,” she wrote.
Montana farmer and Sen. Jon Tester renewed demands Friday for Congress to protect US land security.
“While we learn more about the specifics around this unfolding situation, it highlights the need for Congress to do more to protect American agricultural security,” the Democrat said in a statement this week.
Stefanik was among a group of bipartisan legislators who wrote to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack to protest what they say is the federal government’s lax oversight of foreign land purchases.
It’s not clear why Chen’s purchase does not appear in government records. The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act requires foreign investors to report any new interest in American agricultural land to the Department of Agriculture within 90 days of the transaction.
Canada’s Irving family is the biggest foreign landowner in the country, owning more than 1.2 million acres in Maine.