LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Pete Hoekstra, former Michigan congressman and United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, along with colleague Joseph Cella, is mobilizing grassroots activists to oppose Michigan’s efforts to bring two lithium ion battery manufacturers to Michigan. These manufacturers are headquartered in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which they say maintain deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Recent hearings about the TikTok social media platform show that more and more politicians are pushing back, sometimes in a bipartisan manner, against China-linked companies that pose a security risk to the United States.

Hoekstra and Cella are part of a group called “Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group.” Hoekstra and Cella both sent out press releases recently outlining the problem with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s push to work with and fund China-linked companies.

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Their press releases say that it’s dangerous for the two China-linked groups to misrepresent their deep ties with the CCP. The release states “No PRC-based company escapes the reach of the CCP” and goes on to say “It does not matter if a PRC-based company looking to locate to Michigan is not a State Owned Enterprise or is just a US-subsidiary of a publicly traded company with a diverse board of directors, they are considered to be ‘relevant organs’ by the PRC, the CCP and the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and their United Front Intelligence gathering mechanism to ‘provide necessary support, assistance and cooperation.’”

Hoekstra’s press release continues, “Any PRC-national who may be present as a part of these companies are required to surveil, collect, and report any information on anything, as directed…For the sake of our national security and the security of the State of Michigan, these projects must be stopped.”

The projects in question are the Gotion project in Big Rapids and the Ford project near Marshall with Chinese partner CATL, both of which have been aggressively pursued by elected officials, appointed leaders, economic development entities and local officials in the state of Michigan.

Michigan Senator John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) was at a Senate appropriations committee meeting recently and pointed to the Chinese foreign minister saying a conflict with the United States was inevitable. He said, “There’s a tremendous concern, as you know, related to the growing tensions between the United States and China.” He said that concern includes Gotion and their links to the Chinese government.

Cella says in his press release, “The PRC and the CCP are penetrating our shores on a sub-national level and beyond the eyes of the United States Government. This is manifested through industry, higher education and whenever economic engagement occurs, there is great peril to our national security and our state security…The reports and threats of espionage, intelligence gathering and influence operations by the PRC against the United States government, military, higher education and private sector, have soared in the last 15 years.”

The press release also points to comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray who said, “The greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality, is the counterintelligence and economic espionage threat from China.”

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Cella calls on the Michigan Legislature to act on the threat. He says, “Any Michigan taxpayer subsidy for a PRC-based company should be rejected on a bipartisan basis. Michigan taxpayers should not be used to enable a CCP-affiliated company to establish a base in Michigan.