Chinese firm sues Obama over blocking wind farm deal

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Chinese-owned firm in the U.S. is suing President Barack Obama after he blocked a wind farm deal on national security grounds, according to BBC News.

Ralls Corp, a private firm, acquired four wind farm projects near a U.S. naval facility in Oregon earlier this year.

Obama signed the order blocking the deal last week. The lawsuit alleges the US government overstepped its authority.

It is the first foreign investment to be blocked in the U.S. for 22 years.

The block on the wind farms comes just weeks ahead of November's U.S. presidential election. China's state-run news agency Xinhua said "China-bashing" in order "to woo some blue-collar voters" was the reason for the decision.

The move forced Ralls Corp to divest its stake in the projects, which were located near restricted airspace used by the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility.

Ralls Corp's complaint, filed on Monday, Oct 1, alleged that the U.S. president had "acted in an unlawful and unauthorized manner".

The firm, owned by two Chinese nationals, said in its suit that Obama failed to adhere to the law to treat Ralls Corp on equal terms. The court documents were made public on Tuesday.

Issuing the order last week, the White House said: "There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that Ralls Corporation... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States."