China's Customs agency issued multiple notices recently to suspend poultry, pork and horse products from certain countries in the wake of animal diseases.

A new research note looks at the extent of Chinese and other foreign ownership of U.S. land. This issue has been controversial in the U.S. Congress and in state governments in recent months, with various proposals to restrict this investment.

At a U.S. Senate hearing yesterday, several Senators raised concerns about Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland, and proposed expanding the role of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in reviewing these transactions.

China's Customs recently announced import suspensions on poultry products and other animal products from certain countries due to animal disease outbreaks. On the other hand, it also lifted a decade-long import ban on animal products from Colombia.

A group of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives has put forward a new effort to restrict farmland purchases associated with the Chinese government, following a number of other similar legislative efforts.

A Chinese investment in a North Dakota corn mill facility was formally approved by a U.S. federal government body last month, but there is continued political pressure to block the investment. A U.S. Air Force official has now weighed in with concerns.

A bicameral, bipartisan group of members of Congress has introduced legislation to "protect America’s agricultural industry from improper foreign investment," with Chinese farmland purchases as a key target.