Concerns over a potential threat to United States national security are being raised by the planned establishment of Chinese company SolarSpace Technology near one of the most important American military bases.
Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno sent a letter on July 31 to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting an immediate national security review regarding the planned purchase or lease of an industrial facility by the Chinese company.
Targeted installation a few kilometers from critical US base
According to Bernie Moreno, SolarSpace Technology, a China-based manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and panels, is considering leasing or purchasing facilities at 2555 Woodman Drive in Kettering, Ohio.
The specific property is located approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of the most sensitive military installations in the United States.
"The Chinese Communist Party should never acquire or lease land near our military installations," the American senator emphasizes in his letter.
The heart of American air and space power
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base hosts the Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, while employing more than 38,000 military personnel, civilian employees, and external contractors.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has been conducting research on hypersonic technologies since the early 1960s, with total American investments amounting to approximately $1.7 billion in the last 25 years alone.
Concerns are also heightened by past espionage incidents. In 2014, a former civilian employee of the laboratory was sentenced to 37 months in prison for selling sensitive information to an individual he believed was an agent of Chinese intelligence services.
"Beijing uses commercial companies for military purposes"
Bernie Moreno argues that the case does not concern a simple business investment, but a potential national security risk.
As he points out, the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly leveraged commercial enterprises to advance military and intelligence objectives, making strict oversight of any related investment near critical military infrastructure imperative.
SolarSpace Technology and state subsidies from Beijing
SolarSpace Technology is headquartered in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, while maintaining an office in Wilmington, Delaware.
According to a financial report submitted in 2023 to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the company received millions of dollars in state subsidies from the Chinese government between 2020 and the first half of 2023.
This detail, according to critics of the deal, reinforces suspicions of close ties with the Chinese state.
Pressure for CFIUS intervention
Bernie Moreno calls on Scott Bessent, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to temporarily block the transaction and initiate a full investigation.
As he characteristically states, "we cannot allow potential shell companies for the Chinese Communist Party to buy land or facilities near our most sensitive military and critical infrastructure sites."
Growing concern over Chinese land ownership in the US
The issue of Chinese real estate ownership in the United States is increasingly at the center of political debate.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, Chinese companies and entities held approximately 277,336 acres of agricultural land by the end of 2023, a large portion of which is located within 150 miles of at least 30 military installations.
States such as Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, and South Dakota have already moved forward with legislative initiatives to restrict foreign investments in land located near military infrastructure.
In 2024, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order prohibiting Chinese and other foreign adversaries of the US from acquiring agricultural land within 10 miles of critical military facilities.
At the same time, Senator Tim Scott, with the support of Bernie Moreno and other Republicans, reintroduced in 2025 the Protect Our Bases Act, which provides for stricter CFIUS controls on any purchase of land or real estate near military bases.
Until the publication of the case, SolarSpace Technology had not responded to requests for comment.
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