Life, liberty, and the pursuit of property? A CNN article this week highlighted a Florida state law restricting property purchases by Chinese citizens without U.S. green cards. The headline lead with the quote, ‘They’re treating us like we’re spies.’
The reality is – that’s because Chinese state law directs that they are.
China’s national strategy literally requires citizens to use their talents and resources to support the People’s Republic. Individuals living in the U.S. under a visa are absolutely still subject to that policy. Following reports of the Chinese government buying land around U.S. military installations, more than 20 states proposed legislation to restrict foreign land purchases.
Critics have argued that China isn’t the only foreign country to be buying land in the U.S. Canada owns the most land in the U.S., followed by countries like the UK, Netherlands, Italy, and Germany. The difference between the other top foreign countries with land and the U.S. and China should be obvious – they are allies to the U.S., and don’t currently have a state-sponsored espionage program that requires their citizens to deliver information and resources to support state-sponsored espionage.
There is nothing preventing Chinese visa holders from pursuing a path to a green card or U.S. citizenship – both of which would enable them to buy property. And while the path into a national security career is much more difficult for naturalized U.S. citizens, it’s not impossible. There are a number of naturalized citizens who have gone on to work in national security.
Property restrictions also aren’t unique to the U.S. – U.S. residents working in China don’t have cart blanche to purchase any real estate they want, and face specific restrictions on their ability to purchase or own real estate.
