Chinese communist exposed as the second-largest foreign owner of American land

The second-largest foreign owner of American land is now apparently a well-connected Chinese communist with an affinity for Mao Zedong.

The Land Report, a magazine that tracks private landownership in the U.S., recently released its report on the top 100 landowners in the U.S., indicating Chinese billionaire Tianqiao Chen ranks 82nd overall.

Chen, originally of Zheijiang Province, China, made the list by acquiring 198,000 acres of timberland in Oregon from Fidelity National Ventures for $85 million in 2015. Last month, state tax records revealed Chen's Shanda Asset Management LLC was the current owner.

Bloomberg reported that in terms of landholdings by a foreign national, Chen is ostensibly only outdone by the Irving family of Canada, which owns 1.2 million acres in Maine.

Extra to picking up vast swathes of northwestern territory — including another 500,000 acres of timberland in Canada — Chen has purchased several valuable properties, including the Vanderbilt Mansion in Manhattan, which he picked up for $39 million, and the Seeley Mudd Estate in Los Angeles, which sold for $25 million.

The Land Report indicated that Chen and his wife also dumped $115 million into Caltech, providing them with access to a three-story, 150,000-square-foot facility on campus with their name on the side.

The Daily Caller reported on the basis of a review of Chinese-language media reports that Chen, who made his billions from online gaming, has extensive links to the Chinese communist regime. In addition to being a member of the Chinese Communist Party — which he joined in 1991 — he reportedly has executive roles in various CCP-affiliated organizations.

In addition to Chinese media outfits, financial profiles, and business filings repeatedly identifying Chen as a card-carrying CCP member, the Beijing Review indicated Chen is an admirer of Mao Zedong, the communist dictator responsible for the deaths of an estimated 65 million Chinese. China News Services, a propaganda outlet for the regime, revealed Chen has a favorite Mao quote: "Strategically we should despise all our enemies, but tactically we should take them all seriously."

Chen is not a passive CCP member, but rather an ostensible insider, having reportedly served as a representative of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference — a state group where "all the relevant united front actors inside and outside the party come together," according to former CIA officer Peter Mattis.

Responding to the Daily Caller's report, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) wrote on X, "I'm deeply concerned that individuals tied to the Chinese Communist Party are buying up Oregon timberland."

China, the U.S.' pre-eminent adversary on the world stage, has increasingly bought up American land over the past decade. Whereas in 2011, when Chinese investors owned 69,295 acres of American land, by year-end 2021, they reportedly controlled nearly 400,000 acres, including land near an Air Force base in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Chavez-DeRemer indicated she was proud to cosponsor proposals aimed at preventing the purchase of certain tracts of land by foreign nationals. For instance, the "Stop China's Continuous Purchase of Land Act," introduced in July 2023, would bar states from receiving funds under certain federal programs unless they had laws on the books restricting the purchase of agricultural land by Chinese nationals.

The congresswoman told the Daily Caller, "Foreign ownership of United States lands is a serious problem that has rightfully sparked unease among farmers, ranchers and foresters across the country."

Some states have already taken action to address the potential risk of ownership by persons and organizations with ties to adversarial nations.

Missouri Republican Gov. Michael Parson signed an executive order last week barring "individuals and businesses from nations designated as foreign adversaries from purchasing agricultural land within a 10-mile radius of critical military facilities in the State of Missouri." China was counted among the nations deemed adversarial in the order.

Missouri already had a rule on the books ensuring foreign agricultural land purchases could not exceed 1% of the total farmland in the state.

"When it comes to China and other foreign adversaries, we must take commonsense precautions that protect Missourians and our security resources," said Parson.

Blaze News previously reported that Arkansas passed a law in October banning China and other prohibited foreign parties from owning land altogether. Florida, Virginia, North Dakota, and Montana are among the other states to pass similar legislation in recent years, ensuring that American land could not be snatched up by potential foes.

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