Restricting North Carolina Farmland From The Chinese - May 14, 2026

North Carolina isn’t just a battlefield for ideas; it’s becoming a quiet battleground for land, food, and military security. In this episode, we walk through how Chinese‑owned WH Group and its control of Smithfield Foods gives Beijing leverage over America’s pork supply and puts Chinese‑owned land within a short drive of Fort Liberty and other key bases. We break down a renewed push in Raleigh to tighten the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act, why a 50‑mile buffer around military installations matters, and how Democrats are trying to water it down. We wrap up with why Chinese land holdings may be smaller than other foreign investors on paper, but still pose the most serious threat to our sovereignty and national security.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

• 00:01 – How much North Carolina farmland is already in Chinese hands and why it matters for our state
• 00:12 – How WH Group’s takeover of Smithfield gives Beijing leverage over America’s pork and meat supply
• 00:41 – Chinese‑owned land sitting less than 25 miles from Fort Liberty and what that means for military security
• 01:03 – Other Chinese‑owned properties near key U.S. bases like MacDill and Camp Pendleton
• 01:19 – The updated NC Farmland and Military Protection Act and the proposed 50‑mile buffer around military sites
• 01:38 – Why the bill stalled, what Senator Bill Brinson is trying to fix
• 01:57 – Why Chinese ownership is a smaller share of land on paper but still the most serious national security threat, and my closing thoughts

What you can do

If you’re concerned about hostile regimes buying up land around our military bases, now is the time to speak up. Call and email your state legislators and tell them to support a strong NC Farmland and Military Protection Act that keeps Chinese‑controlled companies at least 50 miles away from our most sensitive military sites. Share this episode with friends, family, and neighbors who may have no idea how close Beijing already is to Fort Liberty and other bases. Stay informed, stay vocal, and let Raleigh know that North Carolina farmland and national security are not for sale.

Transcript

0:01

Did you know the Chinese own 50,000 acres of land here in North Carolina? This is the Wilmington Standard daily update for Thursday, May 14, 2026. WH Group, a Chinese company based in Hong Kong, acquired Smithfield Foods in 2013. As a result, they now own roughly 20% of the entire pork and meat processing business in the United States. Since there is virtually no difference between a Chinese corporation and a Chinese government, it means that Beijing, both a commercial and military enemy of the United States, has a sizable stranglehold on American meat production. But it gets worse. Smithfield Foods, again a Chinese operation, owns land less than 25 miles away from Fort Bragg, home of the U.S. Army Special Operations Force and the 13th Airborne Corps. With today's technology, it means that one of the world's most powerful nations can easily spy on the actions of our military here in North Carolina. In other states, the Chinese own land near MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, home of the United States Central Command and other critical components of our national security, and Camp Pendleton, essentially the heart of every Marine Corps operation on the West Coast. On Tuesday, Republicans in Raleigh proposed an update to the North Carolina Farm Land and Military Protection Act to prohibit any foreign company specifically identified as an adversary of the United States, which includes China, from owning land within 50 miles of a military base or other sensitive operation. This bill has stalled since 2025 when first introduced because of differences and allowed distances and other considerations. Senator Bill Brinson, Republican out of Craven County, told lawmakers at a committee meeting on Tuesday that his revisions should address all these concerns. While the Chinese are not the only foreign nation to own American soil, they in fact own a small percentage of it when compared to other investors from outside the United States, they are the ones who pose the most threat, and they need to be stopped. For the Wilmington Standard, I'm Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.