WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – On Tuesday, four Republican and Democrat US lawmakers convened with Ford executives in an effort to dissuade connection with China in Electric Vehicle technology, particularly with supply chain reliance. 

The foursome all hold positions on the newly formed House of Representatives China Select Committee, and include Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) and John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Haley Stevens (D-Michigan) who are expected to argue that the Chinese auto battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) is closely tied to the Chinese Communist Party and has received Chinese government subsidies that allow it to undercut US firms, according to Bloomberg Industries. 

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Earlier this year, Ford announced a partnership with CATL as part of its push to create Michigan’s first EV battery plant of its kind and in the United States.  Advocates from Ford have said that CATL would not pose a security threat. 

“The plant is going to be fully owned by a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, so this will be an American investment made in Michigan,” Christ Smith, Chief Government Operations Officer for Ford Motor Company said, “There aren’t going to be any foreign partners, our relationship with CATL will be as a technical service provider.  They are going to be providing technical services for the project; the project is going to be owned, operated, and run by a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company making batteries that are going to be installed in Ford vehicles.”  

Virginia was another state contender for the project but eventually recused itself when Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin withdrew the state from consideration earlier this year, calling the proposal a “Trojan horse” allowing China to undermine efforts to strengthen the US auto industry.

Other EV projects in Michigan, including Gotion near Big Rapids, have received opposition from some US lawmakers because of possible security threats to China. 

Previously, Congressman Moolenaar has spoken in support of Michiganders seeking a federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of the Gotion project, which was denied last week. 

“Gotion has not disclosed the materials it submitted to CFIUS and has not released the NDAs it forced Michigan officials to sign,” he said in a statement, “While it insists on secrecy, one document everyone has seen is Gotion High Tech’s articles of association where it pledges allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and says it will carry out party activities. Today’s announcement from Gotion is not an approval from CFIUS, but another example of the broken CFIUS process where the government claims deals are outside its jurisdiction.” 

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Representative Gallagher is the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and Representative Krishnamoorthi is the top Democrat on the committee.

The legislators plan to meet Ford CEO Jim Farley and GM CEO Mary Barra, among other officials.