WASHINGTON, May 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The United States has barred a Chinese-
owned crypto firm from using land near a strategic US nuclear missile base,
President Joe Biden announced Monday, citing national security concerns.

The order requires MineOne Partners Limited to divest from land it purchased
in 2022 which sits less than a mile from Wyoming's Francis E. Warren Air
Force Base (AFB), home to Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles,
the White House said in a statement.

Biden's decision follows an investigation by the cross-agency Committee on
Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which "identified national
security risks" with the purchase of land so close to the nuclear base,
according to the White House.

CFIUS also raised concerns about the installation of "specialized" crypto
mining equipment on the land which is "potentially capable of facilitating
surveillance and espionage activities."

"Today's divestment order underscores President Biden's steadfast commitment
to protecting the United States' national security," US Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen said in a statement.

The announcement marks the latest step by the Biden administration to keep
Chinese-owned companies away from technology deemed crucial to national
security.

The administration has said it wants to protect US manufacturing from cheaper
Chinese imports, while stressing its desire to maintain positive trading ties
in other areas.

"China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by
using unfair practices," Biden said in one such statement earlier this year.
"China's policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to
our national security."