Earlier this week, the city council of Grand Forks voted unanimously (5-0) to strike down a Chinese-owned company's corn mill project, after the U.S. Air Force said the project's proximity to the base "presents a significant threat to national security." The Fufeng Group paid $2.3 million last year to purchase the 300 acres of land just 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to sensitive drone technology connected to space and satellite operations.
Grand Forks has now pulled the plug on the firm's plan to build a $700 million corn milling and biofermentation plant:
Audio from city council meeting: "Any comments from counsel? Alright – seeing none, we have a motion second on the floor, all those in favor signify by saying Aye! [Aye!] Opposed same sign! [Silence] Motion carries unanimously!"
As Fox News notes, the council's decision was met with cheers and chants of "USA!" from the public in attendance.
Gordon Klingenschmitt, a former Air Force strategic missile officer, says Fufeng's connection with the Chinese Communist Party needs to be taken into consideration.
"If they're still working for the Chinese government [and] if they're still loyal to the Chinese government, there is no reason that Americans should be approving their permits to take over our infrastructure," he warns. "Especially in light of the recent Chinese spying scandal and the balloon scandal and other hostile threats to American trade."
And Klingenschmitt questions Beijing's motives if land purchases are near a military base. "That's suspicious to me," he admits. "And they should not have access so easily to pick up American secrets in the places where they are located."
In an interview last summer with AFN, national defense analyst Bob Maginnis said the U.S. needs to recognize the Chinese regime has been an adversary for a long time – and that buying up parcels of land in places like North Dakota is just part of their ambition to take over the entire world.
"Any engagement with China should be considered an adversarial engagement," Maginnis warned. "We need to recognize that if they are buying land, they're buying it for their selfish purposes to manipulate the United States to their particular agenda."
He added: "There's just no end to their ambition."
Klingenschmitt, who also served as a chaplain during his military career, is founder of the Pray In Jesus Name project.
