Gotion’s revised filing, which cites Beijing subsidies, spurs new wave of US opposition
- Chinese EV battery maker’s US$2.4 billion Michigan factory plan, already protested by locals, may see more scrutiny amid calls for new probe
Chinese EV battery maker Gotion High-Tech has drawn a new wave of criticism in the United States after a recent filing with the federal government disclosed that the company benefits from subsidies from Beijing.
On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers accused Gotion of dishonesty and called for an investigation to halt the company’s proposed US$2.4 billion factory project in Michigan.
US Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, who chairs the House select committee on China, told the South China Morning Post that “while it’s no surprise that the Chinese Communist Party is aiding and abetting Gotion, Gotion’s consistent deception regarding its ties to the CCP is inexcusable”.
“American tax dollars should never be spent uplifting China’s national champions,” he added, and said he hoped that “this recent filing will trigger a new investigation to stop Gotion’s Michigan plans once and for all”.
In a July 20 amendment to its Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing, the company revised its position on its connections to the Chinese government, altering previous statements to disclose that it was “partially subsidised through government funding provided by the People’s Republic of China”.
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Experimental electric flying car takes to the air for test run in northern China
Gotion’s original filing on April 21, 2023, answered the question about subsidies by any “foreign government, foreign political party, or other foreign principal” in the negative.
