Biden orders Chinese cryptocurrency miners to sell land near US nuclear facility

US President Joe Biden has ordered MineOne Partners and its partners to sell the land next to Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming within 120 days.

Source. This was reported by the Financial Times.

The US military is deploying Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles at Warren Air Force Base in southeastern Wyoming.

According to Biden, the controlling stake in MineOne Partners is owned by Chinese citizens, and they did not inform the US government of the confidential deal.

In the published order of sale, Biden noted that MineOne used specialised cryptocurrency mining equipment that included foreign-origin technology, which posed a threat to national security.

"The proximity of the foreign property to a strategic missile base and a key element of America's nuclear triad, as well as the presence of specialised foreign-made equipment with the potential to facilitate surveillance and espionage activities, poses a threat to the national security of the United States," the order said.

The White House said MineOne failed to notify the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for security reasons, of the 2022 land purchase.

According to the presidential decree, MineOne must remove the equipment from the land within 90 days. Biden also banned the group and its partners from accessing the site – except for the purpose of moving equipment – until CFIUS is satisfied that all equipment is gone.

According to the newspaper, these actions are explained by congressional concerns that Chinese companies are acquiring agricultural and other land across the United States, especially near military installations.