Monahan: Could China-owned land in US affect military?

China does own 383,934 acres of U.S. land. A “BBC Newshour” on National Public Radio offered an excellent report on the status of China — the 18th foreign nation that owns American land. Canada is No. 1. Our neighbor Canada is not an adversarial nation; however, China definitely is. China’s current U.S. land purchases near our military bases are unacceptable and dangerous to U.S. national security.

George “Jody” Sweeney, in his Opinion, offers that “China doesn’t own as much U.S. land as some think." My belief is those doubters should take their time and “think again.” Though Chinese-owned land is a tiny fraction of all foreign-owned land in the U.S., its purchases have raised fears that the Chinese government could have control, through Chinese corporations and individuals, over U.S. assets or could gain access to U.S.-based information. Corporations own the majority of that land. One major fear is that Chinese telecommunications equipment could be used to disrupt U.S. military communications. The Chinese government has laws that allow it to access information held by its citizens and corporations. Legislation in Congress would restrict Chinese ownership of U.S. property. Both sides of the aisle agree that China is detrimental to America.

Mr. Sweeney views his “corrections” of my prior Opinion statements as “Biden bias.”

I consider his comments not “corrections” but “interpretations.”

May God always bless the United States of America!

Beverly E. Monahan

Dover

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