A suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States fueled South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) call to pass legislation that would ban the Chinese Communist Party from buying up land in South Dakota.

“Now more than ever, states need to step up and defend our people from the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. This is exactly why we need to pass SB 185 and SB 189,” she said on Twitter Friday morning:

On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement that the United States has “detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now.”

Ryder added:

The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic, and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

Additionally, a senior defense official told reporters during a briefing, “We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People’s Republic of China].”

As Breitbart News exclusively reported in January, a coalition of special interests and industry representatives have attempted to stop Noem from passing legislation to restrict the Chinese Communist Party — or other foreign entities — from purchasing land in South Dakota.

The governor’s proposal, which has support in the State House and State Senate, would create a state-level version of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review and then block any foreign entity’s proposal to purchase land in South Dakota.

“This is a national security issue,” the governor told Breitbart News Saturday during an appearance in January regarding this issue.

“Protecting America is important, and that this has been a real threat to our country, and with the B21 coming to South Dakota, we are a target for exactly the kinds of activities that China is doing in other places, such as buying up land and assets and from other countries that hate us,” Noem said.

“I think all of us can agree as Americans that China shouldn’t be buying up land in the United States. They are an enemy,” Noem added. “They are an evil government built on Communism and taking away freedom. That isn’t something we should allow to have a presence here in our great country.”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.