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Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is up for reelection this year, garnered backlash Tuesday after vetoing a bill aimed at preventing China from buying up land next to strategic assets, such as military bases.
Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp said the “politically motivated veto” was “utterly insane,” blaming Hobbs for being “an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats.”
However, Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was “ineffective at counter-espionage” and did not “directly protect” American military assets in the state.
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Chinese investment in land near military bases has become an increasing concern for national security hawks. Shamp, in her efforts to get the now-vetoed bill passed, cited recent Chinese attempts to lease buildings alongside Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots.
“Governor Hobbs’s veto of SB 1109 hangs an ‘Open for the CCP’ sign on Arizona’s front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor’s growing fabrication footprint,” said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats.
“Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple, and Governor Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 ‘is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,’” Lucci added.
Lucci pointed to Ukraine’s recent drone attacks that destroyed significant numbers of Russian military aircraft, noting that “proximity produces peril in asymmetric warfare.”
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S.B. 1109, which can still pass if the Arizona legislature overrides Hobbs’ veto, would have prohibited the People’s Republic of China from having a 30%, or more, stake in Arizona property.
Hobbs, in her defense of the veto, added that in addition to being ineffective at countering Chinese espionage efforts, the bill lacked “clear implementation criteria,” which opened the door for “arbitrary enforcement.”
However, the bill went through a bipartisan amendment process in an effort to assuage those concerns that the legislation might lead to discrimination in land sales, according to local outlet the AZ Mirror. The initial version of the bill banned certain people and entities deemed to be national security threats from buying up land in Arizona, but following subsequent amendments the bill only sought to ban Chinese government-linked entities and its subsidiaries.
In addition to Arizona, other states have proposed or passed legislation aimed at curtailing Chinese land grabs in the United States. Congress has also taken steps in an effort to effectuate change through national policy.
As of March 17, according to the China-focused nonprofit Committee of 100, 27 states are currently considering 84 bills aimed at restricting foreign property ownership in some way, while Congress is currently considering seven separate bills addressing the issue. So far, the committee indicated, 22 states have passed bills restricting foreign property ownership, 17 of which were passed into law in 2024.
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