Fufeng USA, the American subsidiary of a Chinese company that makes components for animal feed, announced last year that it had plans to build a corn mill in a field in Grand Forks, North Dakota. However, there are split views on the matter.
Many are protesting against Fufeng due to distrust and dislike of China. As Mitch Smith writes for The New York Times, “diplomatic relations have frayed” and “American officials, especially Republicans, have questioned whether the United States has grown too close to China economically, and whether seemingly innocuous Chinese investments could be used for nefarious purposes.”
America saw an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by comments from former president Donald Trump about the virus. Since then, people have increasingly started to question China and its treatment of its citizens. Due to this concern, as well as concerns about the cost of the mill, residents of Grand Forks are protesting against Fufeng and its partnership.
However, figures of authority such as Governer Doug Burgum and Mayor Brandon Bochenski are supportive of the idea. Burgum “described [the mill] as a ‘huge opportunity’ for all of North Dakota,” and Bochenski said “that it would be Grand Forks’s largest economic development effort in recent history.”
North Dakota has not yet come to a decision on the issue.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/17/us/grand-forks-north-dakota-fufeng-china.html
Many are protesting against Fufeng due to distrust and dislike of China. As Mitch Smith writes for The New York Times, “diplomatic relations have frayed” and “American officials, especially Republicans, have questioned whether the United States has grown too close to China economically, and whether seemingly innocuous Chinese investments could be used for nefarious purposes.”
America saw an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by comments from former president Donald Trump about the virus. Since then, people have increasingly started to question China and its treatment of its citizens. Due to this concern, as well as concerns about the cost of the mill, residents of Grand Forks are protesting against Fufeng and its partnership.
However, figures of authority such as Governer Doug Burgum and Mayor Brandon Bochenski are supportive of the idea. Burgum “described [the mill] as a ‘huge opportunity’ for all of North Dakota,” and Bochenski said “that it would be Grand Forks’s largest economic development effort in recent history.”
North Dakota has not yet come to a decision on the issue.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/17/us/grand-forks-north-dakota-fufeng-china.html
