Restricting North Carolina Farmland From The Chinese

Daily Update - May 14, 2026

Watch on YouTube

Like and Subscribe

Episode summary:

North Carolina isn’t just a battlefield for ideas; it’s becoming a quiet battleground for land, food, and military security. In this episode, we walk through how Chinese‑owned WH Group and its control of Smithfield Foods gives Beijing leverage over America’s pork supply and puts Chinese‑owned land within a short drive of Fort Liberty and other key bases. We break down a renewed push in Raleigh to tighten the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act, why a 50‑mile buffer around military installations matters, and how Democrats are trying to water it down. We wrap up with why Chinese land holdings may be smaller than other foreign investors on paper, but still pose the most serious threat to our sovereignty and national security.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

00:01 – How much North Carolina farmland is already in Chinese hands and why it matters for our state
00:12 – How WH Group’s takeover of Smithfield gives Beijing leverage over America’s pork and meat supply
00:41 – Chinese‑owned land sitting less than 25 miles from Fort Liberty and what that means for military security
01:03 – Other Chinese‑owned properties near key U.S. bases like MacDill and Camp Pendleton
01:19 – The updated NC Farmland and Military Protection Act and the proposed 50‑mile buffer around military sites
01:38 – Why the bill stalled, what Senator Bill Brinson is trying to fix
01:57 – Why Chinese ownership is a smaller share of land on paper but still the most serious national security threat, and my closing thoughts

What you can do

If you’re concerned about hostile regimes buying up land around our military bases, now is the time to speak up. Call and email your state legislators and tell them to support a strong NC Farmland and Military Protection Act that keeps Chinese‑controlled companies at least 50 miles away from our most sensitive military sites. Share this episode with friends, family, and neighbors who may have no idea how close Beijing already is to Fort Liberty and other bases. Stay informed, stay vocal, and let Raleigh know that North Carolina farmland and national security are not for sale.

Did you know the Chinese own 50,000 acres of land here in North Carolina?

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Thursday, May 14, 2026.

WH Group – a Chinese company based in Hong Kong – acquired Smithfield Foods in 2013. As a result, they now own roughly 20% of the entire pork and meat processing business in the United States. Since there is virtually no difference between a Chinese Corporation and the Chinese Government, it means that Beijing – both a commercial and military enemy of the United States – has a sizeable stranglehold on American meat production.

But it gets worse. Smithfield Foods – again a Chinese operation – owns land less than 25 miles away from Fort Bragg – home of the US Army Special Operations force and the 13^th Airborne Corps. With today’s technology, it means that one of the world’s most powerful nations can easily spy on the actions of our military here in North Carolina. In other states, the Chinese own land near MacDill Airforce Base in Florida – home of United States Central Command and other critical components of our national security – and Camp Pendleton – essentially the heart of every Marine Corps operation on the West Coast.

On Tuesday, Republicans in Raleigh proposed an update to the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act to prohibit any foreign company specifically identified as an adversary of the United States – which includes China – from owning land within 50 miles of a military base or other sensitive operation. This bill has stalled since 2025 when first introduced because of differences in allowed distances and other considerations. Sen Bill Brinson, Republican out of Craven County, told lawmakers at a committee meeting on Tuesday that his revisions should address all these concerns.

Democrats of course want to modify the bill to bring the boundary down to 10 miles, and make specific exclusions for immigrants who want to start a business. Both objections are ludicrous and poise inestimable threats to our national security.

While the Chinese are not the only foreign nation to own American soil – they in fact own a small percentage of it when compared to other investors from outside the United States – they are the ones who poise the most threat.

And they need to be stopped.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.

Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC.