Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders unveiled a series of bills earlier this week to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence in Arkansas.
The bills will pull state resources from Chinese-linked entities and prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing land around military bases and other critical infrastructure.
“President Trump is the first president in my lifetime to take a hard line against Communist China and we are proud to support that work in Arkansas by getting Communist China off our land and out of our state,” Sanders said in a statement. “Once I sign this legislation into law, Chinese Communist Party-linked companies’ will be banned from owning property near critical infrastructure and lobbying on behalf of Communist China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries will no longer be allowed in the state of Arkansas. My administration is putting America and Arkansas first.”
“Governor Sanders will put Arkansas first by banning lobbying on behalf of Communist China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries. Municipalities will no longer be allowed to have from a sister city in Communist China,” a press release on the matter explains. “The State will withhold funding from colleges and universities that have a Confucius Institute or similar institute related to the People’s Republic of China, including Chinese cultural centers, and prohibit state-sponsored colleges and universities and entities from investing in Communist China. State agencies will be barred from spending public funds to purchase promotional items made in China.”
Senator Blake Johnson (R), one of the leading sponsors of the legislation, said the package “protects our farmers, our businesses, and our national security.”
