Effect of increasing tension in China-America, Chinese citizens may be banned from buying property in these states of US

US China News : The US state of Texas is considering barring Chinese citizens from buying property on grounds of national security. Other states may follow suit as tensions with Beijing escalate. The Texas proposal would also bar Russians, Iranians and North Koreans from owning real estate. But the main targets appear to be Chinese citizens.

According to AFP, the draft proposal was introduced in November 2022 by Republican Lois Kolkhorst, a state senator from Texas in the southern US. "One of the top concerns for Texans is national security and the growing ownership of Texas land by some anti-foreign entities," Kolkhorst said.

Governor Greg Abbott (a Republican and staunch supporter of more severe immigration policies) says he will sign the measure into force if it passes the state senate.

Foreign ownership of agricultural land and other real estate, especially by Chinese citizens or

businesses, is becoming a hot issue not only in Texas but across the United States. Florida, Arkansas, South Dakota and eight other states are considering legislation to restrict foreign ownership.

Texas is at the forefront of this. With 28.8 million citizens, Texas is the second most populous state. , US Census data shows that of its residents, 1.4 million define their ethnicity as Asian, and 223,500 say they are of Chinese descent.

Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, has 156,000 residents who identify as Asian. These include US citizens with Asian heritage, but Chinese permanent residents - or green card holders - who are not naturalized citizens.

"All these people are paying their taxes here," said Ling Luo, director of the Asian American Leadership Council and a first-generation Chinese immigrant. And universities are making a tremendous contribution to education.' Even though the proposal also targets other nationalities, Luo said the Chinese are the most numerous.

Jean Wu, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, said that 'China is the second largest trading partner of Texas. And China is the third largest buyer of Texas goods. A proposal like this on the table, he said, "could put all those contracts in jeopardy." He said, 'There is a difference between people of Chinese heritage and the government of China.'

Rising US-China tensions

Wu said escalating diplomatic tensions after the US shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon over the weekend could spur efforts to restrict foreign real estate ownership.

Wu said, "There are some people who are using the increase in tension as an excuse to come after members of the community."

How did this issue become so big ?

Kolkhorst, who proposed the Texas law, said the bill was sparked by the purchase of 130,000 acres (52,600 ha) by a retired Chinese army officer affiliated with the Communist Party.

The land is near Laughlin Air Force Base east of Del Rio, a city near the border with Mexico. The buyer of the land was real estate tycoon Sun Guangxin. He said he wanted to build a wind and solar farm, but Texas put the project on hold in 2021.

Citing national security concerns, the state legislature passed a law that blocks any projects involving China or the governments of the other three countries from connecting to the grid.

According to the National Association of Realtors, in the 12 months through March 2022, Chinese investment represented six percent of foreign residential purchases in the United States.

' This statement is not reassuring '

Senator Kolkhorst said that his proposed sanctions would not affect people with US citizenship or permanent resident status nor anyone "fleeing persecution" in their country.

For Luo, these statements are not reassuring. Although he is a US citizen. He said, 'Who knows whether you are a citizen or you are not a citizen? It is not written on your face. It is your Chinese face that people see and because of which people abuse us, hate us, beat us.