Three senators lead effort to ban Chinese-owned GNC from military installations over spying concerns

Efforts to region Chinese-owned GNC from US subject bases gained momentum this week arsenic Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., introduced companion authorities to a House-led measure targeting nan nutrition retailer.

Some 85 GNC stores presently run connected American subject installations.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., first introduced a measure to prohibition nan institution from doing business connected American bases, citing nationalist information and espionage concerns.

Now, chap North Carolina Republican Budd is starring a akin effort successful nan Senate, decrying nan stores arsenic hubs to “exploit individual data.” 

Budd, joined by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced nan Military Installation Retail Security Act, which would prohibit nan Department of Defense from allowing businesses owned by adversarial nations – including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – to run connected US bases. 

At North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, 4 GNC stores work astir 53,700 troops, astir 10% of nan US Army.  

“Adversarial nations person nary spot owning and operating businesses connected US subject bases, each nan while gaining individual recognition accusation of American citizens, conscionable to move a profit,” Budd said successful a statement. 

 “We shouldn’t beryllium allowing Chinese-affiliated companies successful nan United States, fto unsocial connected our subject bases.

This measure will guarantee our adversaries can’t utilization our military,” Cotton added. 

While overmuch of Congress has focused connected preventing Chinese onshore acquisitions adjacent US subject installations, Harrigan said he was alarmed to find that a Chinese-owned institution was already operating connected US bases mostly unnoticed.

“It’s moreover crazier [than overseas onshore purchases],” Harrigan told Fox News Digital past week. 

In June 2020, vitamin retailer GNC revenge for bankruptcy and was afloat acquired by Harbin Pharmaceuticals – a partially state-owned Chinese endeavor that had already purchased a 40% liking successful nan institution successful 2018.

In 2019, GNC agreed to merge its manufacturing pinch International Vitamin Corporation (IVC), which has a consortium of Chinese investors. 

The company, founded successful Pittsburgh, had already been operating connected US bases for years astatine nan clip of its sale, and frankincense its imaginable to thief pinch Chinese surveillance connected subject bases was overlooked.

Roughly 85 GNC stores connected subject installations run nether “long-term concessions” contracts, meaning they are operated, staffed and supplied straight by GNC.

“I’m gladsome to person Sen. Budd measurement successful to thief thrust this guardant and make judge CCP-owned companies person zero spot wrong America’s subject infrastructure,” Harrigan said of nan caller Senate bill.

In a connection to Fox News Digital, a GNC spokesperson pushed backmost connected nan legislation, saying: “Our systems are independently monitored and meet strict national standards, partaking successful aggregate audits passim nan year.”

“We emotion our subject customers. Their well-being, whether it’s their individual wellness aliases nan information of their information, will ever travel first. We’re honored to beryllium portion of their communities and will proceed to safeguard their accusation conscionable for illustration we do each our customers,” GNC said. 

Harrigan said nan stores could place individuals pinch vulnerabilities by search predominant purchases of testosterone, slumber immunodeficiency aliases immoderate different supplements.

It could besides perchance show deployment cycles based connected changes successful buying patterns, he added.

In-store WiFi and mobile information search could uncover unit geolocations, Harrigan claimed, and loyalty apps aliases promo emails could beryllium utilized to embed malicious links aliases software.

“This should beryllium communal sense,” said Scott. “Allowing companies controlled by our biggest overseas adversaries – for illustration Communist China, Russia and North Korea – to run connected US subject bases is simply a wholly unacceptable threat.”