How much US land does China really own? (2024)

A 2022 Chinese land purchase in the U.S. also raised concerns. That spring, a food producer called Fufeng Group bought 370 acres for corn milling near an Air Force base in North Dakota. This prompted the Biden administration to propose a new rule: any foreign company or individual who wants to buy land within 100 miles of certain U.S. military bases (the North Dakota base included) needs government approval.

While Chinese ownership of U.S. land has been a hot topic among lawmakers — even becoming the center of a Montana Senate race this year — China only had a stake in 383,935 acres of U.S. land as of 2021, which is less than 1% of all foreign-held land.

It’s worth noting that a 2023 NBC investigation found that the foreign ownership reporting system is “lax and enforcement minimal,” with some purchases not reported to the USDA for years, but there is little evidence that Chinese land ownership in the U.S. exceeds its reported boundaries by any significant margin.

In testimony to the Senate agriculture committee in September, Michigan State’s Ortega said, “China’s investments in foreign agriculture are largely driven by its desire to build food self-sufficiency.” Former USDA chief economist Joe Glauber told the Washington Post that Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland is “literally a drop in the bucket.”

Despite this, in 2023 alone, at least 81 bills were proposed across 33 states that would restrict Chinese ownership of farmland and of any land near military bases. At least one of those bills passed, a Florida law that banned those who are not U.S. citizens and are “domiciled” in China from buying land or buildings. But the bill was blocked by a U.S. appeals court in February.

Though this new wave of Chinese land restrictions is notable in its volume (and its disproportionality to the amount of land that China actually owns in the U.S.), placing some limits on foreign landownership is a fairly common practice. About half of all states have laws restricting foreign landownership in some capacity, according to the National Agricultural Law Center, and at least 11 federal bills on the topic have been proposed in the last three years.

“We expect the political rhetoric on this to escalate and also expect more legislation to be introduced and passed,” John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, told the Washington Post. “Even state legislators want to appear to be tough on China right now, and they are grasping for things that they can control in their own state legislatures to show that they are being tough.”

How much US land does China really own? (2024)

FAQs

How much US land does China really own? ›

While Chinese ownership of U.S. land has been a hot topic among lawmakers — even becoming the center of a Montana Senate race this year — China only had a stake in 383,935 acres of U.S. land as of 2021, which is less than 1% of all foreign-held land.

How much land does China own in the U.S. map? ›

Chinese investors owned an even tinier fraction – about 383,934 acres, according to 2021 data requested by NPR. In fact, based on the data, Chinese land holdings account for less than 1% of farmland in any given state where there have been purchases.

Do U.S. citizens own land in China? ›

The United States does not own any land in China. However, the US does have a diplomatic presence in China through the US Embassy in Beijing and various consulates in other cities. These diplomatic properties are not owned by the US, but rather leased from the Chinese government.

How much American farmland does Canada own? ›

Canadian investors own the largest portion of foreign-held U.S. agricultural land with 31% (12.8 million acres) of the total and 0.97% of all U.S. agricultural land.

Can China buy land in Missouri? ›

Governor Kehoe said. “China is our nation's most hostile foreign adversary, and Missouri cannot allow individuals and companies associated with the Chinese Communist Party to buy and exploit Missouri land.”

Which foreign country owns the most US land? ›

Which countries own the most land in the U.S.?
  • CANADA. 31%
  • Other. 28%
  • NETHERLANDS. 12%
  • ITALY. 7%
  • UNITED KINGDOM. 6%
  • GERMANY. 6%
  • PORTUGAL. 3.6%
  • FRANCE. 3.2%
Mar 29, 2024

How much land does China owe in the US? ›

China owns 384,000 acres of American agricultural land. That's a 30% increase just since 2019. And on top of that, they own land near an air force base in North Dakota.

Can Americans own land in Russia? ›

Purchasing a property for a Russian residence permit

Foreigners can opt to buy a property in Russia and obtain a residence permit. This type of residence permit allows foreigners to live in Russia and even do business without restrictions.

How much land does Canada own in the US? ›

Canadian investors top the list, or 12.8 million acres, roughly 31% of the foreign-owned agricultural land in the U.S. No other country's investors combine to own more than 5 million acres of American farmland.

How much US real estate does China own? ›

Chinese investors owned an even tinier fraction – about 383,934 acres, according to 2021 data requested by NPR. In fact, based on the data, Chinese land holdings account for less than 1% of farmland in any given state where there have been purchases.

Who owns the most farmland in the states? ›

Top ten largest private landowners:

Emmerson family 2.411 million acres. John Malone 2.2 million acres. Ted Turner 2 million acres. Reed family 1.661 million acres.

Does the U.S. own land in other countries? ›

Foreign investment in the U.S. at the end of 2022 was surpassed by the $6.58 trillion invested by U.S. companies and individuals in other countries (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023), including ownership of over 9 million acres in other countries (Lutz, 2021).

How many countries own farmland in the United States? ›

As demonstrated in Table 1, the top 10 foreign owners of U.S. agricultural land by acres were Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Ireland. Individuals from these countries own three-quarters of the acres owned by foreigners.

Does China own Rockefeller Center? ›

China Investment Corporation (CIC) has forked out $1.03 billion to purchase a 45 percent stake in a building in New York’s iconic Rockefeller Center, a deal which makes the Chinese sovereign wealth fund one of the biggest buyers of Manhattan real estate in 2016.

Can Chinese citizens buy property in the United States? ›

Over the last few months, Montana, Virginia, and North Dakota have all passed legislation restricting the ability of Chinese nationals to buy property. Georgia, Iowa and Kansas, among others, are considering similar legislation.

How much does it cost to buy a land in China? ›

In 2022, the average price for residential real estate in Shenzhen was over 55.700 thousand yuan per square meter. This was the highest price among all major cities in China, with the average price across the country amounting to 17,359 yuan per square meter.

How much property does the Chinese own in America? ›

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture.

How much farmland in Michigan is owned by China? ›

China held 349,442 acres in 2022, which is slightly less than 1% of foreign-held acres. Forest land accounted for over 48% of all reported foreign held acreage, cropland for over 28%, and pasture and other agricultural land for over 21%.

How many companies in the US are owned by China? ›

As of the end of 2022, data indicates the operation of around 5,000 Chinese-owned companies in the United States, spanning diverse industries such as technology, manufacturing, finance, and real estate.

Does the US or China have more land mass? ›

Considering the total surface area of both countries including land and water, the United States takes up 9.8 million square kilometers while China has 9.6 million square kilometers, according to World Atlas.

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