Marco Rubio slams CFIUS for failing to block China land purchase

Plan to acquire farmland near key air base takes step forward

Military personnel at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota check an RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft in June. © U.S. Air Force

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

December 15, 2022 19:42 JST

TOKYO -- A U.S. lawmaker has slammed an interagency government committee for failing to block a Chinese acquisition of farmland near a key U.S. Air Force base in the state of North Dakota.

The plan by agricultural company Fufeng Group to purchase 150 hectares of land about 20 kilometers from Grand Forks Air Force Base took a step forward this week when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) said it will not block the transaction because it does not fall under its jurisdiction.