As North Carolina Democrat Rep. Don Davis faces a tough battle against retired colonel Republican Laurie Buckhout in November, reports have surfaced revealing his longstanding ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP. This contest is seen as a toss-up, bringing national attention to Davis’s activities involving the American adversary.
Davis’ connections with the CCP go back to his time in the state Senate when he took an all-expenses-paid nine-day trip to China funded by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, which is associated with the CCP. The group engages in “people-to-people diplomacy” and forms “alliances of convenience with other political parties, social groups, and individuals” to strengthen its position.
The congressman’s interactions with Chinese Communists did not stop there. In 2014, Davis spoke to Wuhan University exchange students about the role governments play in healthcare. He stated that it was great to have an opportunity to participate in the exchange and hear from a different perspective.
China’s influence-seeking efforts extend beyond Congress. North Carolina is home to one of the largest concentrations of Chinese-owned farmland in the United States, with several states banning the sale of farmland to those with ties to adversarial nations, including China. However, North Carolina has not implemented such a ban.
In Davis’ district alone, Chinese entities own 6,500 acres of farmland, and the vice ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee has remained silent on the issue. Other congressional lawmakers have expressed concerns over China’s purchases of American land, particularly near US military installations. Former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who chaired the House Select Committee on the CCP before retiring this year, predicted that states would become the front lines in a New Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party.
