While the bills will not directly impact Mr Li or his family since he has been a US citizen since 2005, he is concerned about the signal they send.
“These bills would … send a message to people around the country that these people (Chinese) could be potentially spies, could be potentially doing bad things to the US and so they should be discriminated against,” he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY
In a rare display of unity, both Republicans and Democrats said the laws are necessary to protect national security. They pointed to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this year and cases of Chinese nationals buying up large swathes of land near military bases.
Last month, Florida became the latest state to ban Chinese nationals from purchasing farm land and property near military installations or other “critical infrastructure” like airports and power plants.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has announced that he will be running for president next year, said at a press conference that “we really need to have a unified effort in this county to deter the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) ambitions and influence”.
Source: CNA
