A protest in Texas against a proposed ban on land ownership by the Chinese state, businesses, or citizens


I joined Monocle 24’s Emma Nelson on Wednesday to discuss the 11 US states considering bans on land ownership by Chinese citizens and companies.

Listen to Discussion from 22:13:

I analyze the motives for the bans, including political exploitation of US-China tensions as well as supposed concerns over security and Chinese control over US food production. I emphasize the difference between restrictions on Chinese state entities and those on individuals.

And I explain the contradiction in Texas, where the proposed ban is accompanied by the welcome of billions of dollars in investment by Chinese firms.

You have people jumping on a bandwagon, and there are individuals like Governor Greg Abbott of Texas who think I can make a big appeal to advance my ambitions with a jab at China.