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'Foreign adversary' property ban advances in S. Carolina

By MAY ZHOU in Houston | China Daily Global | Updated: 2023-03-30 11:11

The South Carolina Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit citizens and companies of "foreign adversary" nations from buying real property in the state.

The bill is now headed to the state's House of Representatives for consideration and a vote.

The foreign adversary nations are determined by the US Department of Commerce; the list currently includes China, Russia, Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

An exception is made for legal residents from those nations with a restriction: They can buy no more than 5 acres for homestead purposes.

The leading sponsor of the bill is Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey. He equated some foreign land purchases to the Trojan Horse in the Greek story of the Trojan War.

"We need to look inside that wooden horse before we let it in the gate. And there are some countries that have given us more of a reason to look inside the wooden horse before we let it in the gate," Massey said.

During debate, Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto asked if a green card holder could open a restaurant.

Massey replied that such a person could do so but couldn't own the property.

"Why is that?" Hutto asked. "I thought the American Dream was kind of to own your own business?"

"Once they become a citizen, they could do that," Massey said, adding: "They are still citizens of foreign adversaries."

Democratic Senator Dick Harpootlian opposed the bill and questioned the premise that a Chinese company's purchase of land equated to "establishing a nest of spies".

"This is a bumper sticker," Harpootlian said. "This is not legislation that is going to improve the quality of life for anybody in this state."

Another Democratic senator, Mike Fanning, expressed concern that it could hamstring rural counties with fewer options for outside investment.

An online comment by "Voltaire" said the measure isn't constitutional.

"It seems more and more these days America is heading down the path of restricting liberty," Voltaire wrote.

Another reader, David tried to remind people of the angst Americans experienced "when the Japanese were buying up not only land, but also iconic properties".

Some readers expressed support for the bill but said it should apply to all foreign countries.

"And we should stop Canadian corporations from buying our land as well. They own huge chunks of housing developments and are a big reason housing is so expensive," a reader named Keith wrote.

Canada is the top country of origin for land ownership in the US, while China owns less than 1 percent.

Even though Texas appears to be the first state to propose bills of such a nature, South Carolina moved faster. The bill took less than a month from first reading to the Senate's approval.

Currently, similar bills have emerged in about a dozen states, mostly in the South.

In Texas, the first such bill was filed in November, and now there are 11 bills primarily targeting China, Russia, Iran and North Korea to restrict citizens and companies from those countries from owning real property and engaging in government contract, attending universities or operating social media platforms.

Other states with similar bills include Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia.

Earlier this year in Wyoming, two proposals restricting foreign land ownership were rejected by state legislators. The bills would ban ownership of more than an acre by people from China, Russia and countries the US government considers state sponsors of terrorism.

Agencies contributed to this story.

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