House GOP sounds the alarm over Chinese Communist Party-linked land buy near U.S. Air Force base

House Republicans are raising national security concerns over a Chinese Communist Party-linked company buying land near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

"The presence of a CCP-affiliated corporation near a military installation potentially undermines the integrity of our high-capability military bases, jeopardizing our strategic interests," 51 GOP members of Congress, led by Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez wrote in a letter Monday to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The letter was also addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Fufeng Group, a China-based manufacturer with close ties to Beijing, purchased land near the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which the House Republicans said is an "ideal location to closely monitor and intercept military activity."

The representatives said they specifically included Secretary Vilsack in the letter because the land purchase also threatens food security as foreign investors own more than 37 million acres of agricultural land.

The Republicans asked the secretaries to "take effective action in addressing the potential national security risks" that stem from the Fufeng Group's purchase and "what it means for the future of our national security."

Members of Congress have warned on several occasions about China's purchase of U.S. farmland. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.C.) proposed a bill last month to stop companies based in China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from purchasing or investing in U.S. agricultural land.