Georgia bill to limit land purchases by Chinese ‘agents’ passes state House, despite racism objections
- Democrat opponents say the bill, similar to measures passed in other Republican-leaning states, would lead to discrimination against Asian-Americans
- The bill targets ‘agents’ of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia, and affects purchases of farmland and land near military installations
A bill that would ban any “agent” of China from buying farmland or land near military installations in Georgia passed the state House on Thursday over the objections of Democrats who said it would lead to discrimination against Asian-Americans and not promote national security.
The Georgia House of Representatives voted 97 to 67 in favour of SB420 – a bill that echoes measures already passed in numerous other Republican-leaning states – after a lengthy debate that included both testy remarks and personal stories.
Congresswoman Michelle Au, a Democrat who is Chinese-American, said she has been accused during her time in the General Assembly of being an “agent of the Chinese Community Party, a spy, a plant, un-American and a foreign asset”.
SB420 aims to weaponise that sort of racism, she said.
“This bill, whether explicitly or not, paints a picture that residents from certain parts of this world cannot be trusted,” she said. “They are essentially suspect and potentially traitorous simply by dint of their nationality.”