Banking on Freedom: Bill Blocks State Investments Linked to China

Legislation filed at the Arkansas Capitol last week would prevent some state funds from being invested in organizations associated with China.

The state legislature has worked repeatedly to protect Arkansans from the Chinese Communist Party and entities closely tied to it.

For example, in 2023 lawmakers passed Act 636 to prohibit a “foreign-party controlled business” from acquiring public or private land in Arkansas. The law helps prevent companies owned or controlled by the CCP from buying property in Arkansas — such as Arkansas’ farmland.

In July of 2020 FBI Director Christopher Wray gave a report on the threat China poses, saying, “If you are an American adult, it is more likely than not that China has stolen your personal data.”

In 2021 the U.S. Senate passed a measure intended to clamp down on Chinese propaganda on America’s college campuses.

And in 2022 U.S. Sen. Cotton sent a letter to state and county officials warning them, “I have good reason to believe that the Chinese Communist Party may seek to enlist state and local officials to influence my actions in Congress.”

From forced abortion and organ harvesting to “reeducation camps” and subverting free speech, China’s track record has been abysmal — and many Americans are concerned.

H.B. 1323 by Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R — Centerton) prohibits Arkansas’ public pension and retirement system from investing in entities closely connected with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.

The measure does not affect private investments.

The bill could help Arkansas avoid financial ties with companies affiliated with the Chinese government and China’s communist party. You Can Read H.B. 1323 Here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Federal Government Blocks Imports from Dozens of Chinese Companies Over Concerns of Forced Labor

The U.S. government intends to block imports from 37 Chinese based on concerns of forced labor.

The sanctions are part of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that took effect in 2022. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said some of the companies linked to forced labor practices in China supply critical minerals and textiles.

From “reeducation camps” to forced abortion to organ harvesting, China’s human rights track record has been abysmal. Christians have spoken out for years against the atrocities China’s communist government has committed against the Uyghur people and other groups.

Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in response to these atrocities. It’s good to see the federal government continuing to enforce it and hold bad actors in China accountable.

You can read the entire list of sanctioned companies here.

China’s Anti-Family Policies Contribute to Population Crisis

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlights how anti-family policies have contributed to China’s looming population crisis.

After decades of communist population control measures — including China’s “one-child policy” — the country now faces declining birthrates and an aging workforce.

Writing of one prominent city in China, The Wall Street Journal notes,

Once vibrating with energy, Fushun is a city slowly going to sleep. Most of its coal mines and refineries have closed. Half its young people have left. Its pension coffers are heavily in the red, with roughly a third of its population 60 or above.

Last year, only 5,541 babies were born in the city of 1.7 million. By comparison, Michigan’s Wayne County, which includes Detroit and has a similar-size population, logged more than 20,000 births.

Signs of aging are everywhere. Bus stops carry cemetery ads. Taxis advertise dental implants—$200 a tooth or $1,680 for “half a mouth.” . . .

In another decade, all of China will look more like this.

China’s population started shrinking in 2022 and births have been nosediving for several years. By 2035, China will mirror Fushun’s present, with 30% of Chinese 60 or older, based on U.N. population estimates. 

Fushun’s rise was built around a Communist Party growth playbook for state-led investment and a lid on births. Fushun was a star performer in both. Now, it epitomizes the economic and demographic strain all of China will confront. 

This is not the first time pundits have expressed concern over China’s declining population. In 2020, officials from the Chinese Communist Party said the China’s fertility rate was getting dangerously low, fewer couples marrying and starting families. Nearly two years ago, China’s National Bureau of Statistics released reports showing the country’s population had begun plummeting.

China is not the only country facing a population crisis. Most developed nations are as well — including, to a certain extent, Japan and the U.S. — but not to the same degree as China.

Without a growing population, it’s difficult for countries to maintain strong communities, a vibrant workforce, or a healthy economy. The Chinese Communist Party spent decades promoting the idea that having fewer children would be good for China, but that simply is not how society works.

Societies thrive off healthy, stable families. That’s part of the reason Family Council has spent more than 35 years promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values in Arkansas. When families succeed, everyone benefits.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.