A US appeal court on Tuesday cleared the way for Florida to enforce a law restricting real estate and land purchases by Chinese citizens, rejecting claims it violates federal law and discriminates against Asians.

The 2-1 ruling by the Atlanta-based 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals could encourage other states to adopt so-called alien land laws, which were once common but fell out of favour a century ago.

Lawmakers in more than 30 states have passed or introduced bills restricting foreign property ownership.

The 11th Circuit said four Chinese citizens represented by the American Civil Liberties Union lacked legal standing to sue over Florida’s 2023 law because it only applies to people “domiciled” in China, and they have lived in Florida for years.

The court also rejected claims that provisions of the law requiring Chinese citizens to register their properties with the state conflict with a federal law governing foreign investments and were improperly motivated by racism against Chinese people and Asians.

“National, individual, land, and food security concerns motivated [the law’s] enactment,” Circuit Judge Robert Luck wrote for the court.