NJ GOP Governor Candidate Slams Chinese Farmland Buys—But His Investment History Raises Eyebrows

Jack Ciattarelli, a New Jersey Republican running for governor, is making headlines for his tough talk on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland—especially when that foreign owner is China. At a recent town hall, Ciattarelli declared he would sign a bill banning foreign entities from buying New Jersey agricultural land if elected. "No foreign entities should be able to buy our farmland," he told voters, sounding every bit the defender of the Garden State’s green spaces.

But financial disclosures show Ciattarelli has a bit of personal history with Chinese investments. His filings from 2015, 2016, and 2021 reveal he invested in WH Group, the Chinese company that snapped up Smithfield Foods—along with 146,000 acres of U.S. farmland—back in 2013. Talk about a plot twist in the pork industry.

WH Group’s CEO recently shared that their U.S. farmland holdings have actually dropped by 40% over two years, down to about 85,000 acres. Still, that’s a lot of room for pigs to roam.

Ciattarelli’s portfolio hasn’t been limited to pork. He has also reported investments in several major Chinese companies, such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Ping An Insurance, China Mobile, Sinopec, NetEase, and China Eastern Airlines. Some of these companies have raised red flags in Washington: CNOOC landed on a U.S. trade blacklist in 2021, and China Mobile was tagged by the Pentagon as a Chinese military company operating stateside.

It’s worth noting that Ciattarelli has since divested from these Chinese companies, according to his most recent financial disclosure filed in April 2025. His campaign hasn’t explained the timing or reason for these moves, but a spokesperson emphasized that his investments have always been managed by a professional financial advisor. Apparently, the same line of attack about his investments failed to stick during his last campaign, and his team sees the issue as old news being recycled.

Ciattarelli, a businessman and former state assemblyman, is now on his third try for the governor’s mansion. He faces a crowded GOP primary field, with contenders ranging from media personalities to local politicians. The New Jersey primary is set for June 10, and the debate over who gets to buy the state’s farmland is heating up—though it seems past business decisions are coming back to haunt the campaign trail just as much as any foreign investor.