United States: US President Joe Biden has ordered a Chinese-owned bitcoin miner and its partners to sell land they hold close to a US nuclear missile station citing fears about espionage.
MineOne Partners, which is said to be mostly owned by Chinese nationals by the White House, has been given 120 days to sell the land on which it operates a cryptocurrency mining business.
The area is situated 1.6 km (less than a mile) from an air force base in Wyoming that houses intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“The proximity of the foreign-owned Real Estate to a strategic missile base… and the presence of specialized and foreign-sourced equipment potentially capable of facilitating surveillance and espionage activities, presents a national security risk”, the White House said in a statement.
Nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, known as Minuteman IIIs, are stationed at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.
In 2022, MineOne purchased a plot of property near the military base, on which it subsequently installed cryptocurrency mining hardware.
The White House stated that the corporation had not informed the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), a strong committee that reviews agreements for potential dangers to national security.
A member of the public provided a tip, which led authorities to become aware of the transaction.
The US Treasury Department-led interagency panel concluded that the transaction had consequences for national security.
President Biden’s decision to force MineOne to sell the land “highlights the critical gatekeeper role that CFIUS serves to ensure that foreign investment does not undermine our national security,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
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