DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan News Source)-President Joseph Biden issued an executive order restricting US investments in Chinese technology that would include computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence.
In a letter to Congress, the president declared a national emergency to deal with the threat of advancement by countries like China “in sensitive technologies and products critical to the military, intelligence, surveillance or cyber-enabled capabilities.”
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U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) and Chairman of the Select Committee in the Chinese Communist Party, also weighed in on social media about the President’s executive order.
“President Biden’s long-awaited executive order is a small step in the right direction but the loopholes are wide enough to sail the PLA Navy fleet through, and it doesn’t address the passive flows of U.S. money into malign CCP-affiliated companies,” Chairman Gallagher said on Twitter. “Congress needs to step up now and ensure we stop funding the CCP’s military buildup, techno-totalitarian surveillance state, and human rights abuses including the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang.”
Michigan, which has been a chief investor in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology recently received several accolades after Business Facilities published their 19th Annual Rankings Report, placing the state as the top in the country in Automotive Manufacturing and Electric Vehicle (EV) Industry Investment, some projects have come under scrutiny because of business relationships with China for certain technology.
“It’s something we should get used to saying — Michigan is number one,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. “As the state that put the world on wheels, we’re proud to be recognized as leaders in the future of mobility and electrification by Business Facilities. We will build on our rich legacy and continue powering our economic development efforts that have helped us win $16 billion of projects creating 16,000 jobs in just the last few years. Together, we will also continue delivering on the issues that matter most to Michiganders and tell our story—one of revitalization and growth—to ensure anyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan.”
A large part of the catalyst for the rankings has come from the state’s investment with several EV facilities including: Gotion in Big Rapids at $2.36 billion and the Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant valued at $3.5 billion in investments.
Most recently, U.S. Congressmen from the House Ways and Means Committee and Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Chairmen Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) sent a joint letter to Ford asking for details about the deal between the car manufacturer and China and announcing their intent to investigate Ford Motor Company’s potential partnership with the foreign Chinese Battery Company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL), who are looking to build a plant together in Marshall.
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“Ford has argued that the deal will create thousands of American jobs, further Ford’s “commitments to sustainability and human rights,” and lead to American battery technology advancements. But newly discovered information raises serious questions about each claim. Specifically, information regarding the proposed partnership agreement between Ford and CATL suggests that a significant portion of these well-paying jobs will be given to citizens of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—not Americans,” the two wrote in a letter to Ford.
The letter also provided an August 10th deadline to provide information and documents regarding the BlueOval project, and reiterated requests from a letter sent in April.
“A copy of the licensing agreement between Ford and CATL—including all appendices— in both English and Chinese; All documents and communications exchanged between Ford and CATL referring or relating to the licensing agreement in the original language, i.e. not in translation; and All documents and communications between Ford and the Biden Administration referring or relating to the Ford/CATL licensing agreement and/or achievable tax credits,” the letter said.
Ford Motor Company did not reply to Michigan News Source by time of print regarding the company’s response to the letter.
The report from Business Facilities also placed Michigan in the top 10 for several other categories including: Manufacturing Output (No. 4), Manufacturing Jobs (No. 4), Health Care Jobs (No. 7), FDI Capital Investment (No. 9), Customized Workforce Training (No. 10), Tech Talent Pipeline (No. 10) and Life Sciences (No. 10).
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