OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The head of a technology company that is planning a new facility in Kansas near a pair of U.S. military bases has admitted that some employees of its parent company are members of the Chinese Communist Party.
Shawn Montgomery, president of Cnano USA, acknowledged the CCP connections on March 4 during his testimony before the Kansas House Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development, The Western Journal reported.
Montgomery was testifying in opposition to House Bill 2766, which aims to safeguard military installations by imposing restrictions on foreign real estate acquisitions, the outlet continued.
In January, U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner voiced apprehension about the Johnson County site of the proposed 330,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, labeling Cnano USA as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” as reported by the Kansas Reflector.
LaTurner said it would be too close to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Despite Montgomery’s remarks addressing “misinformation” about Cnano’s alleged intentions to acquire U.S. military secrets and his affirmation of patriotism, various committee members raised concerns. Republican state Rep. Patrick Penn specifically referenced the reported CCP ties of Cnano USA’s parent company, Cnano Jiangsu, the outlet noted.
“I absolutely share the same concerns as all of you regarding foreign actors that could be a threat to our economy, our security, our safety and sincerely appreciate Kansas legislation’s effort to protect those fundamental interests,” Montgomery testified during Monday’s hearing. Iff adopted, it will prohibit “foreign principals from countries of concern from holding any interest in certain real property in this state,” according to The Daily Caller.
“Cnano Jiangsu operates a CCP party branch with more than two dozen members and participates in CCP-backed initiatives, including [the 863 Program],” Penn said.
“[The 863 Program] — which has sent money to the parent company, Cnano Jiangsu — [has] been a major CCP initiative to advance China’s military and civilian science technology, and according to a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, it provides funding to clandestine acquirement of American technology [and] sensitive economic information,” he said.
Penn then asked Montgomery if any Cnano Jiangsu were CCP members.
“Cnano USA does not have any CCP members,” Montgomery said.
However, Penn clarified that he was asking about the parent company, leading Montgomery to admit that Cnano Jiangsu has “23 or 26 party members in the company.”
“The same thing is actually true for most businesses that are actually doing business in China,” Montgomery continued. “That includes Walmart and Ford both. Having a CCP party branch is very, very typical there.”
In January 2024, Missouri Governor Mike Parson issued an executive order prohibiting entities linked to China from acquiring agricultural land within a 10-mile radius of any “critical military facilities” in Missouri, following the report by the DCNF. More recently, House and Senate Republicans, spearheaded by LaTurner and Missouri Representative Mark Alford, urged the Treasury Department and the Department of Defense to investigate Cnano USA.
Additionally, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has called on the Biden administration to impose restrictions on foreign land ownership near military installations like Whiteman Air Force Base.
Penn told the Daily Caller that, as a retired Army officer, he placed an emphasis on “clarity, national security and integrity.”
“We know that Cnano Jiangsu is calling the shots for Cnano USA when it is at the top of the chain of command,” Penn said. “These are legitimate concerns, only heightened by the fact that Montgomery refuses to directly address what we are actually asking.”
The 863 Program “focuses on both military and civilian science and technology” and seeks “to accelerate the acquisition and development of science and technology in the PRC,” according to a report from the House Select Committee on China.
