Texans were seeking to conserve a local river when they found out about a recent purchase of up to 140,000 acres of land by a Chinese billionaire who happens to be a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member. The purchased land was located on Texas' border with Mexico, near the Laughlin Air Force Base. The buyer? Chinese real estate tycoon Sun Guangxin.
Breitbart reported that Sun is looking to build a wind farm on up to 140,000 acres of land near the U.S. military installation, which means his operations may affect the electricity grid in the state. Devils River Conservancy (DRC), which describes itself as "a community of advocates dedicated to treasure, preserve and protect the Devils River, its springs, and the lands within its water catchment area," was the first to raise their concerns about how foreign investors' purchases of U.S. land in the area could harm the environment.
The DRC sought out to conserve the Devils River, a "100% spring-fed river and largely considered one of the last wild and pristine rivers in Texas." But now that foreign nationals such as the CCP member is snatching up large pieces of land near the military installation, Texans and local lawmakers have turned to more than just environmental preservation but also national security as their topmost concerns.
"These wind farms affect our training routes and pose a severe risk to our national security," Republican Senator Ted Cruz told Forbes. "The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated time and again they're willing to invest billions of dollars to expand their espionage capabilities and their global reach, including through land purchase schemes near military bases."
But Sen. Cruz isn't the only one exposing and condemning Sun's actions. According to the report, Dallas-based hedge fund Hayman Capital Management founder Kyle Bass, who has long been vocally critical towards the CCP, did as well. Through a range of interviews and tweets, Bass began exposing Sun as a man who had military background and ties to Xinjiang party officials.
Bass questioned what Sun, a former People's Liberation Army (PLA) official, was doing "in the middle of nowhere Texas, next to our Air Force base and our border, trying to plug directly into our electric grid." He also testified in the Texas state legislature during a debate over the Lone Star Infrastructure Act, in which he alleged that Sun has an "economic interest" in the Uyghur repression in Xinjiang.
The answer may lie in who sold the 140,000 acres of land. That person is David Frankens, a man who "bought properties from existing landholders and then sold them to Sun's subsidiary on the same day."
As for Sun's plans for the 140,000 acres of land near the U.S. military installation in Texas, he plans to build the Blue Hills Wind Development, which will feature five 500-feet high permanent meteorological towers and 46 wind turbines that may stand up to 700 feet tall. Operations are slated to begin in early 2023.
