We recently reported in the AIR how folks in Grand Forks, North Dakota were very skeptical and upset about the potential threat from a proposed Chinese corn milling facility. Well, now it seems that China-based Fufeng Group may be forced to abandon plans for a corn milling plant in North Dakota, after the Air Force declared the project “a significant threat to national security.” The plant would be 12 miles from Grand Fork Air Force Base, a hub for air and space operations. Critics say the processing facility could be used to spy on Air Force activities.
Republican U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer from North Dakota said Grand Forks should cut ties with Fufeng and “we should work together to find an American company to develop the agriculture project.” Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski said in a statement, “The federal government has requested the city’s help in stopping the project as geo-political tensions have greatly increased since the initial announcement of the project.”
A food manufacturer, Fufeng, announced in late 2021 that it planned to build a corn milling plant in Grand Forks and has purchased 370 acres for the site. Fufeng is not a state-owned enterprise. All the same, its project attracted suspicion as Sino-U.S. relations have soured.
In a letter, Air Force assistant secretary Andrew Hunter said, “The Air Force view is unambiguous. The proposed project presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risk of significant impact to our operations in the area. The Grant Forks base is the center of military activities related to both air and space operations.”
As we recently reported, the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment had determined in late December that the United States said it would not block the project. The committee, led by the Treasury Department, decides whether projects pose a risk to national security. However, in this situation, the decision from the Air Force will likely supersede the decision previously announced by the Committee on Foreign Investment.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
In light of the most recent Chinese spy balloon that floated across several key military bases in the western U.S., it is easy to see why the development of a Chinese-owned corn mill next to a military facility would draw even further skepticism. Your AIR Editor has traveled to China on several occasions in the past. On one trip in particular, I had to return to my room while a meeting was taking place only to find a Chinese military officer rifling through my belongings. Am I skeptical about the corn mill next to an Air Force base – you bet I am. Incidents like these call for strategic thinking at a very high level. The risks are enormous and create significant concerns for U.S. agriculture, businesses, citizens and our overall national security.
