Small-town patriots defeat CCP-linked battery giant: How Michigan stopped a communist incursion

• Gotion Inc., a Chinese EV battery company with deep ties to the CCP, suspended its $2.4 billion Michigan plant after grassroots opposition exposed its connections to forced labor and Party loyalty mandates.
• Investigations showed Gotion’s bylaws required CCP activities, employed 923 Party members and relied on Xinjiang forced labor, raising national security concerns.
• Residents of Green Charter Township recalled local officials who supported the project, marking a rare community-led defeat of CCP-linked economic infiltration.
• Michigan’s Democratic-led government approved $175 million in subsidies for Gotion, sparking outrage as activists condemned funding a CCP-tied firm.
• The case highlights China’s strategy to dominate U.S. critical industries, urging vigilance against economic threats to sovereignty and supply chains.

In a stunning victory for grassroots activism and national security, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked electric vehicle battery firm has been forced to suspend its plans for a $2.4 billion plant in rural Michigan. The defeat of Gotion Inc., a subsidiary of China’s Gotion High-Tech, marks a rare triumph against Beijing’s economic infiltration of American industry—and a warning to other communities facing similar threats.

The battle begins: CCP ties exposed

The controversy erupted in early 2023 when investigative reports revealed Gotion High-Tech’s deep entanglements with the CCP. Corporate bylaws obtained by The Midwesterner mandated that the company “set up a Party organization and carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China.” Further investigations by the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) uncovered that Gotion employed 923 CCP members and hosted events where employees dressed in Red Army uniforms pledged loyalty to the Party.

Even more alarming, a 2024 congressional probe found that Gotion’s supply chains relied on forced labor from China’s Xinjiang province, where the CCP is engaged in a brutal campaign of repression against Uyghur Muslims.

“The full extent of Gotion’s ties to the CCP were uncovered, with the help of investigative reporting by the DCNF, as well as the national security risks posed by companies like Gotion,” said Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chair of the House Select Committee on the CCP.

Grassroots revolt: A recall election shakes Michigan

The backlash was swift. Residents of Green Charter Township, a small community of just 3,200 people, organized a fierce opposition campaign. In November 2023, voters recalled multiple local officials who had supported the project, sending a clear message: CCP-linked companies were not welcome.

“This was a first-in-the-nation moment where a subnational incursion via a ‘deal’ with a China-based and CCP-tied company led to the recall and defeat of elected officials,” said Joseph Cella, former U.S. Ambassador to Fiji and director of the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group.

Dr. Ormand Hook, a leader of the “No Gotion” movement, told the DCNF that the fight was about preserving American sovereignty. “We love our freedom and are not willing to give up our freedom to America’s number one geopolitical adversary,” he said.

Taxpayer betrayal: Michigan’s $175 million subsidy scandal

Adding fuel to the fire was the revelation that Michigan’s Democratic-controlled government had approved $175 million in taxpayer subsidies for Gotion—despite its CCP ties. The state Senate Appropriations Committee narrowly passed the funding in a 10-9 vote, with every Republican and three Democrats opposing it.

“We found out most local politicians were in bed with the governor and our enemies,” Hook said bluntly.

Lori Brock, another activist in the movement, condemned the subsidies as a betrayal. “American tax dollars should never, ever be used to subsidize anything associated with the CCP,” she told the DCNF.

A warning to Washington: Lessons from Michigan

The Gotion saga is more than just a local dispute—it’s a microcosm of China’s broader strategy to infiltrate U.S. supply chains and critical industries. From rare earth minerals to semiconductor manufacturing, Beijing has systematically sought to dominate sectors vital to American security.

Rep. Moolenaar warned that the fight isn’t over. “Gotion must announce it will finally listen to the people, and end its projects for good,” he said.

For now, the people of Green Charter Township have won a crucial battle. But as China continues its economic warfare against the U.S., their story serves as both an inspiration and a warning: vigilance is the price of freedom.

Patriots everywhere should take note: True freedom, as well as national security, is up to the boots-on-the-ground. Be curious, ask questions, stay involved.

Sources include:

YourNews.com

DailyCaller.com

TheMidwesterner.news