A Chinese-owned company is attempting to build an electric vehicle battery plant in a rural Michigan community, but locals are crying foul over its blatant ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Indeed, according to Fox News, the company, Gotion Inc., recently “quietly appeared as a Chinese foreign principal in an under-the-radar registration.”
“[O]n April 21, Gotion Inc. was quietly registered as a Chinese foreign principal, according to FARA filings, which appears to have gone previously unreported. The U.S. subsidiary’s document declares that its ‘wholly owned and controlled’ by the China-based Hefei Gotion High-Tech Power Energy Co., Ltd.,” Fox News notes.
Hefei Gotion High-Tech Power Energy Co., Ltd. is essentially Gotion’s parent company.
This is a big problem because “[t]he corporate bylaws of Gotion High-Tech require the company to ‘carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China,'” according to Fox News.
Despite this, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has applauded a proposal by Gotion to construct two 550,000-square-foot plants in northern Michigan.
‘We do not want the CCP in the Sunshine state’: DeSantis puts foot down on China land grabs https://t.co/KJzDKqdI74 pic.twitter.com/Xsu8uUn2lp
— BizPac Review (@BIZPACReview) May 9, 2023
In addition, the Michigan State Senate Appropriations Committee reportedly gave the proposal a “final stamp of approval” in a vote carried out in April.
Marjorie Steele, a local resident, was livid.
“I’m angry. I’m angry that this vote was slipped into the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening. I’m angry that you, our elected officials, have ignored my community’s pleas to table this vote until some small semblance of due diligence can be performed,” she said at the time.
“I can promise you that we will not stop at the local level. We are tired of being abused, and we are not alone. This is not just a Mecosta County issue. Townships and counties across the state are uniting, sharing resources, manpower and grassroots activism. Your votes today, senators, are lines drawn in the sand,” she added.
Gotion has, for its part, pleaded innocent.
“Chuck Thelen, the vice president of North American manufacturing at Gotion, has insisted there is no such language in the U.S.-based company’s articles of incorporation. Thelen said the Chinese Communist Party has no presence in the North American company,” according to Politico.
“The rumors that you’ve heard about us bringing communism to North America are just flat-out fear-mongering and really have nothing based in reality,” he told the outlet.
Politico further notes that Gotion does have its share of supporters.
“We desperately need good-paying jobs,” Carlleen Rose, a local business owner, said.
However, the majority is reportedly against her.
“All you gotta do is drive around the community and you’ll see how many people are against it,” Lori Brock, 58, the owner of a local real estate agency and a horse farm across from the planned site, explained.
“They’re pushing it down our throats. Why are we giving our tax money to China when we’re almost at war with China? Why aren’t we giving our tax money to an American company?” she added.
This frustration is reportedly shared by Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican congressman who represents the district.
“Gotion North America is a subsidiary of a company that pledges allegiance to the CCP and I don’t think they should be receiving taxpayer money to build in Michigan,” he said.
But it’s not just the CCP connection that’s an issue. So are Gotion’s “misleading statements”:
Today, @crainsdetroit reported that @Gotion48660 plans to offer an average hourly wage of $24.50 at its project in Mecosta County, for an annual salary of $50,960. However, in April, @detroitnews reported Gotion claimed in filings it would offer an average annual wage of $61,995.
— Rep. John Moolenaar (@RepMoolenaar) August 8, 2023
This shows that @Gotion48660 misled state and local leaders on legal documents about how much it would pay Michigan workers. How many other misleading statements did Gotion and its U.S. subsidiary make in order to claim more than $1 billion in taxpayer support?
— Rep. John Moolenaar (@RepMoolenaar) August 8, 2023
From nondisclosure agreements that hide details from the public to the obvious national security concerns in our country’s competition with the Chinese Communist Party, this project is wrong for Michigan.
— Rep. John Moolenaar (@RepMoolenaar) August 8, 2023
Also of concern is the proposed site’s proximity to U.S. military bases.
“The facility would be located within 60 miles of military armories and 100 miles from Camp Grayling, the country’s largest U.S. National Guard training facility. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that the Michigan National Guard trains Taiwanese soldiers during annual military exercises at Camp Grayling,” Fox News notes.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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