Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on China has issued a letter to Battle Creek, Michigan Mayor Mark Behnke, expressing concerns about the partnership between Ford and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), a Chinese military company. The letter was in response to Behnke's request for taxpayer funding to support the Ford/CATL project in Michigan.
Moolenaar's letter highlighted that CATL is listed by the Department of Defense as a known Chinese military company since January. He warned that collaboration with CATL could support a company involved in undermining American manufacturing and potentially endangering U.S. servicemembers. Moolenaar emphasized the risks associated with partnering with a company linked to the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang, China.
In his communication, Moolenaar stated: "If Battle Creek, Marshall, Calhoun County, and the Ford Motor Company proceed with partnering with CATL, they risk supporting a company linked to the erosion of American manufacturing... Additionally, veterans at the VA Medical Center could one day be there to seek treatment for injuries caused by CATL technology."
Behnke had previously praised CATL's battery technology as "pioneering" and described it as providing a "critical pipeline for other battery-intensive and emerging technologies." However, Moolenaar cautioned that working with CATL would increase dependency on China due to its unfair trade practices.
In August 2024, Moolenaar and then-Senator Marco Rubio urged the Biden administration to include CATL on the Defense Department’s list of Chinese military companies. This request was fulfilled in January 2025. Evidence presented earlier revealed CATL's ties to human rights abuses against Uyghurs through sourcing components from organizations sanctioned by the United States.
Additionally, U.S. lawmakers have prohibited the Department of Defense from purchasing batteries from CATL since January 2024.
