Reuters-US Republicans push for security review of China-linked battery company
September 20, 2023 3 min 443 words
这则报道涉及到美国共和党议员对中国关联电池公司Gotion Inc的安全性进行审查的呼吁。他们担心该公司的管理受到北京政府的影响，特别是考虑到该公司计划在密歇根和伊利诺伊州建设电动汽车电池工厂，有可能获得纳税人资金的支持。密歇根和伊利诺伊州的州长已宣布Gotion将在他们的州开设电动汽车工厂，预计将创造数千个就业机会。 美国参议员马可·卢比奥和来自这些州的共和党代表联名致信财政部长珍妮特·耶伦，敦促美国外国投资委员会（CFIUS）审查Gotion与中国共产党的关联。议员们指出，尽管德国的大众汽车公司是Gotion母公司30%的最大单一股东，但中国通过多个个人股东仍然保持着“有效控制”。他们还提到Gotion High-Tech的大多数其他主要股东都是与中国政府有关联的实体，并且该公司的章程承诺执行党的重大战略决策。他们认为，这应该引发审查，必要时，应该要求Gotion High-Tech脱售，特别是因为乔·拜登总统已将电动汽车和电池视为交通基础设施的关键组成部分。 报道提到，财政部、Gotion和Gotion High-Tech尚未立即回应评论请求。中国近年来一直在增强中国共产党在中国企业中的影响力，通常法律要求在这些企业中设立党组织。此外，共和党还要求特斯拉详细说明与中国电池制造商CATL的关系，担心美国电动汽车补贴不当地流向外国实体，并一直在调查福特汽车计划的35亿美元投资，以使用CATL的技术在密歇根建设电池工厂。 这一举措突显了美国政府在电动汽车和电池领域的安全和经济关切，以及对中国与美国企业之间的关系的担忧。共和党议员的行动表明了他们对国家安全和经济利益的重视，尤其是在重要的交通基础设施领域。这个问题将引发更广泛的辩论，涉及到外国投资、技术转让和国际竞争的问题。
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged the U.S. Treasury Department to conduct a security review over China-linked ownership of Gotion Inc, which plans to build electric vehicle battery plants in Michigan and Illinois, arguing its management is under Beijing's sway.
The move is the latest push by Republicans to question Chinese-linked EV battery producers looking to set up shop in the U.S., possibly with access to taxpayer funding.
The governors of Michigan and Illinois have announced plans for Gotion to open EV plants in their states, facilities expected to create thousands of jobs.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Republican representatives from the states sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review Gotion's ties to China's Communist Party.
The lawmakers said that despite Germany's Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) being the largest single shareholder at about 30% of Gotion's parent company, Gotion High-Tech (002074.SZ) , China maintained "effective control" through multiple individual shareholders.
Those include the company's founder Li Zhen and his son whom, they said, were members of CCP organizations. Most of Gotion High-Tech's other top shareholders, they wrote, were owned by Chinese government-linked entities, and its bylaws vow to implement the major strategic decisions of the party.
That should trigger the review, and if necessary, Gotion High-Tech's divestment, the lawmakers said, especially since President Joe Biden has identified electric vehicles and batteries as critical parts of transportation infrastructure.
"It is not in the interest of the United States to allow the CCP to control facilities estimated to produce thousands of those batteries, much less to provide it with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funded subsidies to do so," they said.
The Treasury Department, Gotion and Gotion High-Tech did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
China has moved in recent years to enhance the CCP's influence in Chinese companies, where maintaining a party unit is often required under law.
Republicans also have asked Tesla (TSLA.O) to detail its relationship with Chinese battery manufacturer CATL (300750.SZ) amid concerns U.S. electric vehicle subsidies were improperly flowing to foreign entities, and have been probing Ford Motor's (F.N) planned $3.5 billion investment to build a battery plant in Michigan using technology from CATL.