Gov. Whitmer Backs CCP-Owned Battery Factory in Michigan

According to Fox News Digital, Gotion Inc., a Fremont, California-based energy company, appeared as a Chinese foreign principal in an under-the-radar registration.

Gotion has faced uproar from Republican politicians and residents in the state over potential Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence concerns since it first unveiled plans to construct a multi-billion dollar facility with the support of Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Gotion’s parent company, Gotion High-Tech, is headquartered in Hefei City, China.

“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,” said Chuck Thelen, Gotion’s North American manufacturing vice president.

Michigan Democrats have also dismissed CCP concerns as Republican fear-mongering, but on April 21, Gotion Inc. was quietly registered as a Chinese foreign principal, which was 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.

Gov. Whitmer announced last October that Gotion would invest $2.4 billion to construct two 550,000-square-foot production plants and other supporting facilities spanning 260 acres in northern Michigan. She applauded the proposal, saying it would shore up Michigan’s status as the “global hub of mobility and electrification.”

Since then, Republican lawmakers, residents and national security experts have raised concerns about Gotion’s Chinese ownership and ties to the CCP. The 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.”

In addition to criticism over its ties to China, legislators have expressed concern about the proximity of Gotion’s proposed plant 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.