Anti-China bills piling up in Texas

Lawmakers' move denounced as racist, meets with opposition from observers

Lawmakers in Texas' Republican-controlled state Legislature are jumping on the bandwagon with controversial bills aimed at making China an adversary, which observers have voiced opposition to.

Since SB 147, which proposes to ban government entities, companies and citizens of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran and Russia from purchasing real property in Texas became widely known in mid-January, numerous bills of a similar nature have been proposed, all by Republican lawmakers.

The bill had stirred controversy, with several Democrats and other stakeholders criticizing it as racist by infringing on the rights of immigrants, CBS Austin reported. Houston House Democrat Gene Wu was particularly critical of the bill, holding news conferences in January to speak out against it.