Dem senator rips China for ‘hypocrisy’ over its battery plant deal with Ford

Democratic Virginia Sen. and Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Mark Warner called out China’s scrutiny of the Ford Motor Company’s recent deal with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) Thursday, according to Bloomberg.

Chinese officials expressed concern about CATL’s battery technology being revealed to the U.S. after Ford announced that it would be opening a multi-billion-dollar factory in Michigan that will rely on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) batteries, according to Bloomberg. The senator called this ironic given that American companies have been required to transfer their technology to their Chinese counterparts.

Beijing said that while they are pleased that the Ford deal shows China’s prowess in the electric vehicle (EV) battery space, they’re concerned about the company’s main technology being accessed by the American motor company, according to Bloomberg.

CCP in Michigan: @ford and State of MI penned deal with Chinese battery company CATL to build plant in Michigan. CATL will provide tech and Chinese workers. Ford will own it, to get around US-owned requirements for Federal subsidies. Ford/Michigan embrace CCP.

— Scott (@Scott4WA8) February 17, 2023

Sen. Warner called the Chinese review of the deal, “hypocrisy of the Communist Party regime,” according to Bloomberg. “They have forced technology transfer, stolen technology, and now want to try and reverse the flow,” Warner said.

Chinese tech companies have a history of stealing sensitive data from American private companies in their efforts to become the world technology leader. One 2017 case involved Chinese workers hacking into Equifax, one of the biggest credit-reporting firms in the U.S., and recovered personal information from about 145 million Americans, according to Foreignpolicy.com.

The deal between Ford and CATL has also received scrutiny from the other side of the aisle. “I am alarmed at Ford’s plan to establish a large, Michigan-based factory, structured as a wholly owned subsidiary that licenses its technology from CATL,” Sen. Marco Rubio, ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote in a Feb. 13 letter to President Biden provided to the DCNF.

The office of Sen. Mark Warner did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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