You may have heard the term “Belt and Road Initiative,” but you could be forgiven for not really knowing what it is. That’s by design. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) doesn’t want its intentions to be understood, or its long game will be lost.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a cornerstone of the CCP’s plan for world domination.
Across the globe, China is financing infrastructure. From Central and South America to Africa and across Asia, national governments have made devil’s bargains with the CCP. Chinese money never comes without strings. The term that has come to describe China’s tactic is “debt-trap diplomacy.”
Essentially, the CCP provides financing, planning, and labor for major public works projects in foreign—usually poor—countries. When the bill comes due and these impoverished governments can’t make the payments, China simply lays claim to ownership of the infrastructure they financed.
In this way, the Chinese communists have gained land including military bases, as well as influence across the world.
But Sid, what does that have to do with Texas farmlands?
BRI is China’s plan for spreading its malign power around the world and specifically into America’s areas of influence—whether that is trade, political, or military associations.
But BRI is not the CCP’s only influence strategy in meeting its ultimate objective of replacing the United States as the unipolar superpower, capable of controlling shipping lanes and dictating terms to the rest of the world.
For that, they must not only weaken America from without, but they must also weaken us from within.
This is where the land purchases become important. China cannot feed itself. China cannot provide for its own energy needs. China is almost uniquely dependent on globalization for its prosperity.
Moreover, the paranoid nature of the authoritarian CCP sees America and our allies as an existential threat not only to their ambitions, but to their very existence.
In this context, the efforts of the CCP, often through intermediary companies or actors beholden to the party (such as the former Chinese general who purchased thousands of acres near Lackland AFB), can be seen as a clear and growing threat to our nation and state.
The CCP has also been found to be using Chinese tech to intercept signal intelligence from other U.S. military facilities near land owned by associates of the CCP.
Land, water, energy … wars are fought over these national assets. China is attempting to control them through the backdoor, and at great detriment to Texas, the United States, and the world.
The CCP’s game plan is clear. Their motivations are clear. The only choice for the Texas Legislature is whether or not to be victimized by a hostile foreign power that wants what we have.
I believe in markets and capitalism, but freedom shouldn’t be a suicide pact.
Our land is our heritage and our security. You don’t sell a gun to a psychopath, and you don’t sell your land to people who want to dominate and destroy you.
Texas must ban land sales to any individual or organization associated with the evil and ill-intentioned Chinese Communist Party.
This is a commentary published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.
