The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced it released a report detailing gaps in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) safeguards for taxpayer-funded research, including collaborations with Chinese companies such as CATL, a partner of Ford Motor Company.
The committee's findings raise concerns about national security and economic risks stemming from insufficient protections against foreign exploitation of federally funded research. The report points to ongoing collaborations between DOE-funded researchers and Chinese entities, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in sensitive technology areas.
The report from the Select Committee on the CCP identifies over 4,300 DOE-funded research papers from June 2023 to June 2025 involving collaboration with Chinese entities, with roughly 50 percent linked to China's defense research and industrial base. It details collaborations in sensitive areas like quantum sensing and nuclear science, including with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) in ion-battery research. The findings highlight DOE's lack of safeguards, allowing taxpayer funds to support adversarial capabilities according to the committee's report.
The proposed CATL-Ford battery plant in Marshall has raised local concerns over economic dependence on Chinese technology. The Heritage Foundation reported that such partnerships risk transferring U.S. manufacturing know-how to China, potentially harming regional industries. State data shows Michigan's auto sector employs over 900,000, vulnerable to foreign supply chain disruptions as reported by The Heritage Foundation.
Globally, China controls over 75 percent of lithium-ion battery production capacity, per the International Energy Agency, enabling influence over energy supply chains. U.S. reliance on Chinese firms like CATL for batteries exceeds 60 percent in some sectors, risking national security. The World Bank notes China's dominance in critical minerals extraction, often tied to forced labor, affects over 80 percent of global supply according to the International Energy Agency.
The Select Committee on the CCP was established in 2023 and investigates threats from the Chinese Communist Party to U.S. security and economy. It focuses on research security, supply chains, and human rights. Chaired by Representative John Moolenaar, the committee has released reports on defense collaborations and forced labor according to its official website.
