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In September, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. During the ceremonies, Chairman Xi Jinping unveiled his vision for the next chapter of history.
Dressed in homage to Mao Zedong — father of the CCP — he declared from Tiananmen Square that the world must now choose between “peace and war, dialogue and confrontation.” Chairman Xi has clearly chosen. He is waging war on U.S. soil through his United Front strategy, a series of influence activities that shape how the American people behave and think, aspiring to manipulate us en masse.
Xi has deployed every element of his malign influence in America’s homeland, intertwining China into food supplies, investment funds, schools, medicines, home life and more. While the federal government can act to secure the outer shells of national security broadly — the invasive nature of China’s plot must be met with on-the-ground counteractions. States must support their national partners by learning from each other how to best remove the CCP from our homeland.
China has implanted itself in almost all industries that touch everyday life in this country. It has acquired Smithfield Foods, America’s largest pork supplier and purchased hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, giving it a chokehold on food supply chains. It can weaponize investments in its companies in public pension funds. The CCP commands Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) on college campuses to quash free expression by disrupting speaker events it views in opposition to its worldview and Confucius Classrooms in K-12 schools to raise a generation sympathetic to its ideology.
Most disturbing of all, China directly interferes in the American family unit through its proven control of TikTok. The CCP uses the social media app to promote self-harm and destructive behavior through advancing trends teaching users how to steal vehicles and destroy school property.
Polling from The Vandenberg Coalition has shown that eighty-six percent of people who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 support initiatives to prevent the CCP from purchasing American land. Ninety-two percent of seniors who voted for him support initiatives to divest public retirement funds from Chinese holdings. Ninety-one percent of young self-described MAGA voters expressed concern about the actions of CSSAs. On TikTok, nine out of ten of those respondents thirty and under are concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership.
The president has made several moves that should please the grassroots. In July, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out the National Farm Security Action Plan, a seven-point program addressing the insecurity posed by China’s agricultural empire. Trump has placed pressure on pharmaceutical companies to halt the importation of Chinese ingredients in vital drugs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced restrictions on visas for Central American nationals working on the CCP’s behalf.
While the administration has maintained a strong rhetorical stance, a challenge of this size needs as many stakeholders as possible to address it. Over the summer, I was reminded of this while speaking with state legislators, connecting with organizations working on every pertinent policy area and attending the State Policy Network Annual Meeting, a gathering of subnational-minded policy wonks. At the conference, I saw how wide of a team the United States has in the contest against China. Lawmakers focused on securing their state’s land, organizations improving education, in-state business leaders propelling the free market and family forums promoting value-based lifestyles can all join forces to bolster America’s defenses.
Initiatives in individual states can have an enormous impact on preserving the freedoms of the American populace. Concerned that assets could be frozen in the event of worsened relations or outright conflict with China, Indiana began the process of divesting its pension funds from Chinese entities. Banding with her counterparts from other states, Comptroller Elise Nieshalla recently signed a letter urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to prevent Chinese entities from receiving Foreign Private Issuer status, which would otherwise allow them to solicit investments under loose regulation.
Likewise, Nebraska has banned foreign individuals and entities from owning or leasing farmland. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation mandating lobbyists in Arkansas representing foreign entities to register themselves on a public database. As of 2024, almost forty states had at least partially banned TikTok from government-issued devices. These laws arose from important research by state think tanks and the influence of voters voicing their concerns. Every individual in every entity in every state can play a part in closing the gaps in America’s national defense.
A world led by China will mean they control the food Americans eat and the life-saving medicines they rely on. They will determine what American students learn in the classroom. They will wash the minds of America’s citizenry through the manipulated algorithms of TikTok, catalyzing the self-destruction of communities, families and individuals. State governments must see the flagrant displays of aggression and listen to their constituents who elected Trump to take on the United Front. They must move proactively, look to each other for inspiration and collaborate to prevent Xi Jinping’s next chapter of history from opening in the homeland.
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