From Staf Reports 

WALHALLA, S.C. — Oconee County Council recently agreed to no longer offer incentives for Chinese entities to invest in the county.

 Initially, council was “fighting to keep investment from foreign adversaries at bay,” according to a July 29 report by Greenville-based radio station 98.9 FM (WORD). “The Oconee County Council was looking into putting restrictions on how much agricultural land China could buy there.

“However, the county attorney (David Root) told council that, generally, state officials handle the regulation of bringing in foreign business and setting limitations on how much land they can obtain.”

At that point, “council pivoted from that and decided to not do business with people — or companies — with ties to China. 

“Oconee County is, seemingly, the first council in South Carolina to take a hard-line stance against a specific foreign power,” the radio station report concluded.

Meanwhile, the Daily Planet interviewed Matthew Durham, council’s chairman and District 2 representative, by telephone on both Sept. 5 and 7 for an update on council’s stance — and any other particulars — regarding Chinese investment in the county.

As for current or impending Chinese investments in Oconee County, Durham told the Daily Planet on Sept. 7: “I do not know of any Chinese or other adversial  foreigners buying farmland or land near  military bases” in Oconee County. “It was more of a proactive move... to keep it from happening here.”

In a separate Sept. 5 interview with the Daily Planet, Durham noted that the discussion of Chinese investment in the county began “about May 2023, when me and Don Mize (District 3 council membr) began discussing it — and it was floating around.

“We had discussed it (the potential for Chinese investments in Oconee County) — and got legal advice that, pretty much, there’s nothing we can do to stop a foreign entity against buying property in the county —  but that we don’t have to incentivize it,” Durham said.

“Right now, we’re taking a stand to not incentivize it, especially for foreign adverseries like China.

“Pretty much, we’re in agreement as a council, as a whole,.. We’re not going to try to recruit or inventivize America’s adversaries” to buy land or locate in Oconee County, Durham said, in concluding his interview with the Daily Planet.

Regarding Oconee County’s hard stance on Chinese investments, the Upstate Post and Courier, in its monthly August print edition, headlined a story as follows:

“Oconee County wants to limit how much farm land Chinese companies can buy.”

 What’s more, a caption under a photo of the Oconee County government offices in the P&C asserted the following:

“Members of County Council want to limit Chinese investment in the county, claiming China is hostile to U.S. interests.”

The P&C story began by asserting:

“Oconee County Council had sought to make a global political stand against China by restricting how much agricultural land foreign investors can buy there, but the plans have been scrapped over legal concerns. 

“County Attorney David Root recently told council members the ordinance under consideration could put them in conflict with state authorities who typicall take the lead on bringing in business from overseas and dictate how much land foreign investors can buy.

“So instead, the all-Republican council has taken a more informal approach, agreeing they would not do business with people or companies with ties to China....

“While the county appears to be the first in South Carolina attempting to make such a measure targeting a specific foreign power, that effort is happening amidst a larger wave of anti-Chinese sentiment in both state and national policymaking as U.S.-Chiina relations sour.”

Elsewhere, the (Seneca) Upstate Journal recently reported that “the South Carolina State Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that would restrict citizens of “foreign adversary” nations from buying property in South Carolia after concerns from Republican lawmakers about the Chinese Community Party buying up” land near U.S. military sites.

State Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said this past spring that, as reported by the Journal, “the bill would prevent trojan horses from entering the state.” 

To the contrary, Democratic state Senator Dick Harpootlian called the legislation nothing more than a “bumper sticker,” the Journal noted.

In contrast to current hawkishness... When she was governor, Haley welcomed Chinese companies to S.C.

From Staff Reports

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — In her recent failed bid  for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley warned Americans “about China and the certain business ventures it has with the United States, but during her time as the governor of South Carolina, she welcomed China-based companies to the state with open arms,” Fox News noted in a July 13 story.

While still seeking the GOP nominiation, the story added, “In recent weeks, Haley has lashed out at American universities for taking funds from China, and she even suggested that she would push American businesses to leave China if she’s elected president in 2024.

“When it comes to our universities, we’re going to say you either take Chinese money or American money, but the days of taking both are over,” Haley was quoted by Fox News as saying during a Moms for Liberty summit in June. “We’ll get that Chinese infiltration out of our universities.”

Further, the story asserted, “Haley also took aim at China for buying American land last month (in June), saying, ‘The line between Chinese investors and the Chinese Communist Party is exceptionally thin. The national security risk is too great. We must prevent China from buying more land and force it to sell what it already owns.’”

And in a June 26 opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, Haley said that, as president, she “will push American businesses to leave China as completely as possible.”

However, Fox News’ story contended that, “during her tenure as governor – when South Carolina reportedly operated overseas trade offices in China, Japan and Europe – Haley was not as cautious when it came to Chinese investments made in her state.

“During her time as governor of the Palmetto State from 2011 to 2017, Haley was welcoming of several investments made by Chinese companies in South Carolina to either expand operations or create new ones.

“In 2016, Haley praised a $300 million investment in Richland County, South Carolina, by the Chinese fiberglass manufacturer China Jushi Co. Ltd., which cited ‘great support’ from the state government for doing so,” Fox News’ story noted.

In a statement at the time, according to China Daily USA., China Jushi CEO Zhang Yuqiang stated the following:

“The USA project is a big move for the strategic development of China Jushi. With the dynamic development of the American composite global market, plus the great support from South Carolina state government and Richland County, we believe that this USA project will achieve great success.” 

At the time, Fox News noted that Haley characterized the Chinese company’s investment in South Carolina as a “huge win for our state.”