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Many of the Congress focuses on banning the purchase of land near Chinese military bases, but freshman MP Pat Harrigan, RN.C. says the Chinese Communist Party already exists directly in those facilities – through the national nutrition chain GNC.
The 2025 Military Installation Retail Security Act, a bill released by Harrigan this week, prohibits businesses owned by China, North Korea, Iran or Russia from operating at military bases.
“This is actually a situation where CCP is operating at our military base. It’s even more crazy. [than foreign land purchases]”Harrigan told Fox News Digital.
In June 2020, vitamin retailer GNC filed for bankruptcy and was fully acquired by partially state-owned Chinese company Harbin Pharmaceuticals. Harbin previously acquired a 40% stake in GNC in 2018.
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Rep. Pat Harrigan has announced a new bill that would ban enemy-owned businesses from operating on U.S. bases. (Nathan Posner/Anadoll via Getty Images)
In 2019, GNC agreed to integrate its production with International Vitamin Corporation (IVC), which has a consortium of Chinese investors.
Founded in Pittsburgh, the company has already operated at US bases for years at the time of sale, and the possibility of helping China surveillance at military bases was overlooked.
Currently, approximately 85 GNC stores operate at US military bases. They operate under what is known as “long-term concessions” agreements. That is, GNC operates, staffs and supplies.
“This is a truly ripe target for a gathering of intelligence,” Harrigan said. “This is no joke about defending the integrity of our military, making sure that foreign enemies who are actively trying to undermine us don’t have the opportunity to do it from our military base.”
GNC operates approximately 85 wellness stores at its US bases. (Reuters/Jessica Dinapoli)
“You know who these people are, the customers you have, their purchasing habits. You have access to sensitive health information based on the type of product they are purchasing,” he said.
Harrigan said the store can identify vulnerable individuals by tracking frequent purchases of testosterone, sleep aids or anxiety supplements. It is also possible to monitor the deployment cycle based on changes in the purchase pattern, he added.
Harrigan warned that GNC access could even allow the enemy to lower military readiness by banned or harmful substances or counterfeit products.
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The store is also poseping potential cyber risks, Harrigan said WiFi and mobile data tracking in the store could reveal the troop’s geographical planet. He warned that loyalty apps and promotional materials can be used to embed malicious links or software.
Fox News Digital reached out to GNC for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills aimed at purchasing US land near sensitive military sites after the Chinese food producer Hufen Group purchased 370 acres near North Dakota Air Force Base in 2022.
China owned about 350,000 acres of farmland in 27 states last year, according to USDA data.
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GNC Holdings appeared in the Award Management System, the federal register of government contractors, in 2023 and 2024, despite not having to register for long-term concession agreements.
The company did not disclose its Chinese ownership on its website and expired its registration in October 2024.
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As a US Senator in Florida, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an alarm in 2020 over the sale of GNC to Harbin, warning that clients’ personal data could be handed over to the Chinese Communist Party. He urged the Treasury to begin a national security review.
Despite these concerns, bankruptcy judge Karen Owens has approved the sale of $770 million. Since then, GNC has exploited its renewed interest in health and wellness, increasing its footprint to over 4,000 U.S. stores and 2,000 internationally, according to its website.
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