Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at a press
conference where it was announced that Ford Motor Company will be
partnering with the worlds largest battery company, a China-based
company called Contemporary Amperex Technology, to create an
electric-vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, on February 13,
2023 in Romulus, Michigan. House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans, directed by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, communicated with Ford Motor Company’s president and CEO James Farley, expressing concern about a new partnership with Chinese-owned Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL). The collaboration involves building lithium iron phosphate batteries in the United States. Earlier this year, Ford announced that the company would invest $3.5 billion in order to construct a lithium iron phosphate battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. Company representatives said that its purpose would be to supply growing electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and create 2,500 new jobs. The battery cells will be manufactured using Chinese company CATL’s technology, which was described in the announcement. 26 Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have been in the process of examining the relationship between the multibillion-dollar American automaker and CATL. In a letter sent to the Ford CEO on Friday, Republican lawmakers, led by Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), questioned the comapny’s recent agreement with CATL. They believe it may be dangerous for national security.
The proposal, which has been supported by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), was considered for Virginia but never made it to the point of final consideration. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA.) opposed the plant, citing that he believed China might have too much influence in the plan and arguing that “CATL and the Chinese Communist Party would have full operational control over the technology.”
Despite not being owned by the government, CATL has received funding from CCP-affiliated Chinese investors, according to a New York Times piece. Over the last decade, the Chinese government has also taken proactive measures to support CATL and other electric vehicle industry businesses based in China. Additionally, the founder of CATL Zeng Yuqun was identified as being affiliated with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. The CPPCC is known as a “critical coordinating body” that combines representatives of Chinese interest groups and is directed by CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee, according to a United States government report published in 2018. The CPPCC brought attention to Yuqun’s work with CATL in March 2022, in which he secured China’s lithium supply chains. The supply chains are essential for EV production and other green energy development.
National security experts and former top State Department officials have expressed concern that the Ford-CATL partnership could be a Chinese effort to take advantage of tax incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act in working with U.S. businesses. The GOP lawmakers concluded their letter, requesting the full licensing agreement between Ford and CATL, copies of all communication between Ford or government representatives about the proposed facility, and clarifications on CATL’s control over the building and its operations.
The letter was signed by at least 26 Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bailey: The Communist Lesbian Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is finally showing who her alliance is with, the Chinese Government. |
Thursday, September 7, 2023
GOP Officials Concerned About Ford’s Partnership With Chinese EV Company
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