Residents of Green Charter Township, a rural Michigan community, earned a ‘huge victory’ after Chinese-owned firm Gotion backed out of its deal to acquire 80 acres of local agricultural land.

“Gotion, a company that ‘pledges allegiance’ to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), did, however, complete the purchase of 260 acres of derelict industrial land in the township and 10 acres of disused farmland last week,” the Daily Mail reports.

Concerned Green Charter Township residents fiercely resisted the company’s attempted takeover of the land to build a battery factory.

Gotion previously “delayed a rezoning application to re-zone farmland to industrial to build a $2.4 billion battery plant,” WLTReport noted.

“It’s allegedly an attempt to re-zone the rural land to industrial to sidestep proposed legislation that would ban foreign adversaries from purchasing farmland. Michigan residents have reportedly expressed outrage over the plant due to concerns about the company’s links to the Chinese Communist Party,” the outlet noted.

WATCH:

News Nation reported:

A shocking twist is unfolding in the push to build a Chinese-owned factory in the heart of the Midwest as the company is now delaying a rezoning application, and backlash from Michigan residents may be the reason.

The company, Gotion Inc., is planning to spend more than $2 billion to purchase a large amount of land and build a plant in rural Michigan. Since most of the land is currently used for farming, Gotion was in the process to re-zone it from agricultural to industrial.

A process that is now delayed.

“Our decision will not affect our anticipated timetable, and Gotion will continue to work diligently with local residents, township and county officials, and other key stakeholders to ensure the project’s success,” a statement from the company read in part.

According to Gotion, the proposed plant would cost $2.4 billion and would bring more than 2,000 jobs to Green Charter Township. But many residents are concerned over Gotion’s ties to China and the Communist Party.

The resistance from residents has prevented the firm’s purchase of the local farmland, but they admit the fight is ‘far from over.’

Daily Mail reports:

Hundreds of residents in Green Charter Township, Mecosta County, have previously turned out to protest the Gotion deal, in which the firm is to be paid $175million in direct taxpayer funding to help it build the facility.

Questions have also been raised over allowing a CCP-subsidiary to move into a site that is just 100 miles away from a US military camp where the Michigan National Guard has been training troops from Taiwan – a territory neighboring China some security experts, including among the US military, say Beijing is preparing to invade.

In a statement confirming the purchase of 270 acres of land in Green Charter Township last week, Gotion said it had ‘listened to concerns of local residents and decided not to purchase two large parcels of land zoned for agriculture use at this time’.

Resident and realtor Lori Brock, 58, who has led the local opposition to the deal, said the concession was a ‘huge’ victory for the community, but warned the fight was ‘far from over’.

‘We don’t want that factory in our community no matter what,’ she told DailyMail.com

‘We want an American company. Not one that is backed by the CCP.

‘We’re almost at war with China right now. Why are we allowing them to buy land here and we can’t buy land in China? It doesn’t make sense.

‘We’re fighting [the deal] tooth and nail.’

The ongoing battle in Green Charter Township has sparked a nationwide debate about allowing Chinese-linked firms to purchase American farmland.

It’s no secret that China owns hundreds of thousands of acres of U.S. agricultural land.

From Forbes:

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture. Of that, 195,000 acres, worth almost $2 billion when purchased, are owned by 85 Chinese investors, which could be individuals, companies or the government. The other 189,000 acres were worth $235 million when purchased and are owned by 62 U.S. corporations with Chinese shareholders. Chinese agricultural land ownership only increased about 550 acres from 2015 to 2019. Then ownership jumped 30% from 2019 to 2020, from some 247,000 acres to roughly 352,000. U.S. companies with Chinese shareholders more than doubled their acreage that year, accounting for 102,000 acres of the growth. China acquired another 32,000 U.S. agricultural acres in 2021—not as much as they scooped up in 2020, but 98% higher than their combined growth between 2015 and 2019.

The national security risk is causing concern among members of Congress and state legislatures.

There is federal and state legislation being considered to ban foreign adversaries from buying American farmland.

The men and women living on the land of the United States of America should have first priority to farmland and properties.

However, some of our public servants do not serve the interests of We the People.

 

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