Charlie Kirk Said China Has Over 192K Acres of U.S. Land In Its Portfolio But Keep Adding More — 'And No One Seems to Care'

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When farmland becomes part of a geopolitical conversation, it stops being just acreage and starts raising bigger questions about control, security, and who gets a stake in U.S. soil.

The late conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk put that tension into a single post on X that quickly became a reference point in the debate in 2022.

"Bill Gates owns 270,000 acres of farmland in the U.S. China also just bought 300 acres there, adding to the 192,000 acres of US Soil in their portfolio …and no one seems to care," he wrote. "Why do we allow this?"

That line—especially the "no one seems to care" portion—captured a concern that went far beyond one deal in North Dakota.

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Data from U.S. Department of Agriculture filings provide the most reliable snapshot of foreign-held farmland.

Around the time of Kirk's post, Chinese-linked ownership was commonly cited between roughly 192,000 and 350,000 acres, depending on which reporting window was used. Holdings peaked at 383,935 acres in 2021.

Since then, the trajectory has shifted downward. By 2023, Chinese ownership dropped to 277,336 acres. As of Dec. 31, 2024, it stood at 247,659 acres held by Chinese primary investors.

Even at that level, the share remains small in context—less than 0.02% of all privately held U.S. agricultural land.

Foreign ownership overall is far larger. Combined, foreign investors hold about 46 million acres, or roughly 3.6% of privately held farmland. Canada alone accounts for a significantly bigger share than China.

The structure behind those holdings often gets lost in the headlines.

Much of the acreage tied to China is not directly owned by the Chinese government. Instead, it flows through companies with varying levels of state connection. Subsidiaries of Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) account for a large portion, tied to pork production and processing. Other parcels are linked to energy projects, including wind leases in Texas.

New acquisitions have slowed sharply. In 2024, Chinese investors reported just eight new purchases.

Some of the most visible deals never materialized. A proposed project by Fufeng Group in North Dakota—located near a U.S. Air Force base—was halted after national security concerns were raised at both local and federal levels.

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Kirk's claim that "no one seems to care" didn't hold for long.

Public reaction to his post was immediate and pointed. One reply read, "No other country should be able to buy up American land." Another said, "Seems unconstitutional to me. No foreign country should be able to own American soil." Others went further, calling for outright bans or even forced divestment.

There were dissenting views. Some argued that the total acreage was too small to matter or questioned whether restrictions conflicted with property rights. But the dominant tone leaned toward concern, not indifference.

More than 20 states have since passed or strengthened laws restricting foreign ownership of farmland, particularly targeting buyers from countries labeled as foreign adversaries. Many of those laws focus on land near military bases or critical infrastructure.

At the federal level, oversight has expanded. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has taken a more active role in reviewing land deals tied to national security concerns.

By 2025, additional federal efforts aimed to limit new acquisitions and review existing holdings more closely.

While foreign ownership draws scrutiny, another trend has been moving in the opposite direction—expanding access for everyday investors.

Platforms like Arrived allow individuals to invest in fractional shares of residential and rental properties without owning or managing the physical asset. It's a different model entirely, but it reflects the same underlying idea: land and real estate remain central to long-term wealth building.

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Instead of large, concentrated ownership, these platforms spread access across thousands of smaller investors.

That contrast has become part of the broader conversation. Who owns land, how much they control, and whether access should be concentrated or distributed are all part of the same discussion.

The total acreage tied to China remains small as a percentage. But the concerns driving the conversation aren't just about scale.

They center on national security, particularly land located near military installations. They touch on food supply and control over agricultural infrastructure. And they raise ongoing questions about transparency, since reporting systems rely heavily on disclosures that can be complex.

Most U.S. farmland is still owned domestically, and allied countries hold the majority of foreign-owned acreage.

But the attention around the issue has shifted.

What started as a question—why do we allow this—has turned into legislation, oversight, and an ongoing policy debate about where the limits should be drawn.

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