North Dakota town BLOCKS Chinese firm from building near Grand Forks Air Base

On Monday night, city council member in Grand Forks, North Dakota voted to prevent a Chinese agriculture company from opening a corn mill on land it had recently purchased just twelve miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

The Fufeng Group's proposed project was deemed problematic by everyone from citizens to high ranking government officials, with many pointing out the potential threats to national security.



The Grand Forks City Council's decision was unanimous, with all five members voting against the plan. The verdict was celebrated by residents in attendance, some of whom were given the opportunity to voice their concerns, according to the Daily Mail.
 

"Why would an individual, or individuals, or a company be involved with somebody that is aggressive to the United States, especially if they're an adversary against us?" one man asked. "The only conclusion I come is up with is money, black mail, prestige, power, sedition, treason."

The Grand Forks Air Force Base has been described as "the backbone of all US military communications across the globe," and as soon as the Fufeng Group proposed their plan, military leaders spoke out against it.

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Andrew Hunter stated in a letter to North Dakota senator John Hoeven that "the Department's view is unambiguous: the proposed project presents a significant threat to national security with both near-and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area."

Sens. Hoeven and Cramer also condemned the proposal, saying in a statement that, "we believe the city should discontinue the Fufeng project and instead we should work together to find an American company to develop the agriculture project."

The Fufeng Group denied allegations that it would facilitate activity that could be viewed as a threat to US national security, however as of late increased scrutiny has been placed on anything that even slightly appears to pose a danger from China.