Congressional Probe of Ford Partnership With Chinese Firms Sparks Security Concerns

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Chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Mike Gallagher, has revealed fresh concerns over Ford’s plans for a new battery factory in Michigan.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are alleging major automaker Ford plans to use technology and software from four Chinese companies that also supply the Chinese military, North Korea, China’s Ministry of Public Security, and have direct ties to the ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Chairman of the committee Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee claim to have uncovered evidence of Ford’s plans while investigating the car makers’ partnership with China-based EV battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL).

In February last year, Ford announced its partnership with CATL to build a new $3.5 billion plant in Marshall, Michigan, which will produce lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.

Reps Gallagher and McMorris-Rodgers are requesting the Biden administration immediately blacklist the four companies that Ford plans to use over security and ethical concerns.

“[A] cursory review of publicly available information uncovered the abovementioned companies’ direct ties to the PLA, the CCP, China’s Ministry of Public Security, the ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and the North Korean government,” the letter to Ms. Raimondo said.

Software Concerns

According to the lawmakers, before the Ford plant even goes online, its “entire security system could be compromised,” by the software from the four Chinese firms.

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“It is indefensible for Ford to use the same cloud integration and data provider that is linked to North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs sanctions evasion activity,” Mr. Gallagher and Ms. McMorris-Rodgers said.

“The same company that is actively supporting the PRC’s surveillance state will have the capability to embed backdoors, spyware, and other forms of malware within Ford’s iPaaS infrastructure, compromising the confidentiality and integrity of Ford’s sensitive information and posing [a] risk to American’s data privacy rights.”

In a separate letter sent to Ford CEO James Farley Jr., the lawmakers requested the company make an official available for an interview regarding any due diligence Ford conducted before and after it entered into the agreements with CATL.

The Epoch Times has contacted Ford for comment about the ongoing situation.

Deal Mired in Controversy From Day 1

Ford expects production at the Michigan factory to begin in 2026, with the plant estimated to produce enough batteries for 400,000 EVs each year.

Ford and Michigan officials say the deal is an economic boon for the state, and concerns have been overblown. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the battery factory could create at least 2,500 jobs and boost the local economy.

The Epoch Times has contacted Ms. Whitmer’s office for further comment about the latest development.

Other public officials have expressed concern over the U.S. automaker’s collaboration with suspect Chinese firms, especially one whose chairman apparently gets advice from communist leader Xi Jinping and serves on the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body to the communist regime.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called Ford’s proposed battery plant a “Trojan horse” for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to undermine U.S. efforts to strengthen the American auto industry, which is why he says he pulled his state out of the running to house the plant over possible national security concerns.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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