‘We continue to investigate, and we will continue to make sure that we are enforcing the law,’ Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Tuesday that a Chinese-owned company has been blocked from purchasing state land as a result of legislation that bans land ownership from entities deemed adversarial.
Speaking during a press conference in Palmyra, Utah, Cox said Cirrus Aircraft is majority owned by the Avian Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a company identified by the Pentagon as having ties to the Chinese communist regime’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), thereby posing national security risks.
Cox said AVIC makes “fighter jets, helicopters, and drones for the Chinese military“ and that they ”appear on multiple federal watch lists and are banned from federal contracts, assistance, and benefits due to serious national security concerns.”
“Their proposed investment in Utah was millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs,” Cox said. “And I don’t care. We are not for sale.”
This sentiment was cemented into law in 2024 through the efforts of Rep. Candice Pierucci and other sponsors, who passed HB516, a bill that restricts land purchases by companies backed by foreign adversaries, namely China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.
Under the new state law, companies have one year to sell the land. If they miss the deadline, the Division of Facilities Construction and Management may seize the property and deposit any remaining post-sale proceeds into the General Fund.
“So we really gave them an opportunity to either play nice or do it the hard way,” Pierucci said at the briefing on Tuesday.
Utah was one of the first states to pass legislation on foreign land ownership.
“Protecting our defense infrastructure and our agriculture is not just about military readiness,” Cox said. “It’s also about economic strength. These missions contribute $23 billion to Utah’s economy, support over 177,000 jobs, and represent nearly 10 percent of our state’s GDP.”
By James Xu
