China
Louisiana to vote on bill which would block ‘foreign adversaries’ from land purchases
Beginning Aug. 1, Louisiana House Bill 537 would prohibit any person connected with a foreign adversary from purchasing, leasing or otherwise acquiring immovable property in the state. “It would allow the attorney general to bring action for injunctive relief on behalf of the state to block sales, investigate transactions, and petition the court to take action” reports Just The News.
According to a 2020 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, Louisiana has the most foreign landowners overall at 5.89 percent. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, and passed the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure with a vote of 11-1, “sending the measure to the House floor for a scheduled vote on Tuesday.”
“This bill is seeking to protect state sovereignty,” Hodges told the committee, stressing it would apply to “corporations who are seeking to control essential assets, not local residents with lawful status who want to contribute to Louisiana business, culture and community.”
Hodges referenced data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found “China’s ownership of U.S. farmland grew 20-fold in the last decade, from 81 million to 1.8 billion worth of holdings in 2020.” Additionally, Louisiana’s important industries — from chemical manufacturers to ports to liquid gas terminals to military bases — “could be targeted by adversaries”.
“I did try to address every concern that I heard with these amendments, because it is not targeted towards an individual,” Hodges said, referring to amended changes in the bill to specify the law would not apply to American citizens, legal permanent residents, or single family residences. The bill ties the definition of foreign adversaries to a federal list that currently includes the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and Venezuela.
China
Electric Vehicle company with Chinese ties awarded $500 million of taxpayer money for 2nd U.S. plant
With a little help from their Democrat friends, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party just announced the opening of its second plant in the United States.
Fox News reports Gotion Inc., whose parent company Gotion High-Tech is based in Hefei, China, unveiled plans to build a $2 billion lithium battery plant in Manteno, Illinois, alongside Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who cheered the project.
The announcement comes amid growing opposition to the company’s plans to build a billion-dollar factory in Mecosta County, Michigan.
In order to make the expansion happen, lobbyists for the Chinese Communist Party-tied electric vehicle company funneled cash to Democrats. “Individuals at a law firm registered as foreign agents to lobby on behalf of Gotion, a Chinese electric vehicle battery company developing a controversial project in Michigan, and wired campaign contributions to several top Democrats” reports Fox News.
“According to state and federal filings, Monique Field-Foster, an attorney at the Lansing office of the Warner Norcross + Judd law firm who is acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Gotion, donated to the campaigns of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Whitmer’s sister Liz Gereghty and Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Rep. Elissa Slotkin” the Fox News report continued.
“With the right incentives, nation-leading infrastructure, world-class workforce and booming clean energy production, we have transformed ourselves into an attractive location for global manufacturers. Today, we take another leap forward. It’s my pleasure to welcome Gotion to Illinois and to show the world yet again that Illinois is ready to be a player on the world stage.”
Pritzker delivered remarks late last week thanking Gotion for choosing Illinois to call “home” in a ceremony with leaders from Gotion High-Tech, including Li Zhen, the company’s chairman and president, who said he expected the factory to open in less than 12 months.
“All that we see here [in Illinois] are of enormous value to us: an enabling business environment, a supportive state government for the new energy industry and their highly efficient work, as well as the prospects of the State of Illinois in the coming years,” the Gotion president added. “We believe that Gotion’s battery technology will help to boost e-mobility in North America and the economic and trade exchanges between China and the U.S.”
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