GRAYLING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Camp Grayling, the largest National Guard training base in the U.S., has become the focus of both national security concerns and international training efforts.

During a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing last week, Joseph Cella, former U.S. ambassador and current director of the Michigan China Economic Security and Review Group, revealed that troops from America’s allies, including Taiwan, have been training at the facility.

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This revelation came as Cella testified about the potential security risks posed by a proposed Gotion China-linked battery factory just 70 miles away from the base. The presence of Taiwanese troops training at the base had not previously been confirmed by the U.S. government

Security concerns around Chinese influence.

Cella highlighted the proximity of the proposed Gotion lithium-ion battery plant, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as a significant threat to U.S. security. “Camp Grayling is the hub of the National All-Domain Warfighting Center, which trains our troops and those of our allies, including Taiwan, in strategic and tactical battle operations,” Cella explained.

Controversy over CCP influence in Michigan.

At the heart of the issue is Gotion’s plan to build a factory in Michigan. Cella described the situation as an example of “malign influence” and “political warfare” by the CCP. He alleged that Chinese influence operations, including bribery and corruption were at play to push through approval for the factory.

In a follow-up press release from the Michigan China Economic Security and Review Group, Cella describes a letter from a Mecosta County resident to the FBI Detroit office, the U.S. States Attorney in the Western District of Michigan, Michigan AG Dana Nessel and the Michigan State Police requesting the investigation of violations of the law through bribery and public corruption in the Gotion “deal.”

Cella says in the press release, “The ‘deal’ with PRC-based and CCP-tied Gotion led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, The Right Place, and Ferris State University, some in the Michigan Legislature, and others in local government has been corrupted from the outset. This letter gives voice to the voiceless citizens who have always known this ‘deal’ was corrupted, and are righteous in wanting to hold actors involved with this ‘deal’ accountable.”

Cella had said at the hearing, “U.S. national security and intelligence agencies convened a group of bipartisan state and local elected officials and business executives across the country to warn them of China’s political warfare. Despite these warnings, all supporting the Gotion project brazenly defied them…And that’s just one of many examples across the United States of how China threatens our national security and sovereignty.”