WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Gotion and CATL, two Chinese companies entangled in the web of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), have found themselves in hot water again. This time, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force has blacklisted their major suppliers for ties to forced labor in the Xinjiang region.

It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement for two companies eager to build U.S. facilities bankrolled by taxpayer dollars.

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The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), chaired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), maintains the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. This list identifies entities involved in forced labor practices, particularly in China’s Xinjiang region. Inclusion on this list means that goods produced by these entities are presumed to be made with forced labor and are prohibited from entering the United States. Importers must provide clear and convincing evidence that their products are not linked to forced labor to overcome this presumption

Forced labor and federal funds.

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and other lawmakers released a statement on November 22nd via the Select Committee on the CCP, slamming the Biden-Harris administration for enabling partnerships with CCP-aligned companies and calling for an immediate halt to taxpayer subsidies.

According to the Select Committee on the CCP’s press release, Gotion and CATL, Chinese Communist Party-affiliated electric vehicle battery companies with plans to build and operate new facilities in the United States, partially financed by federal and state taxpayer dollars, were exposed to have slave labor links by Moolenaar and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in June.

At the time, Moolenaar had said there was “indisputable evidence” that Gotion High Tech and CATL had supply chains “deeply connected to forced labor and the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs in China” and demanded that they be added to the UFLPA Entity list to block shipments of these companies from entering the U.S.

Michigan News Source reached out to Gotion for comment and John Whetstone, who has been a spokesperson for Gotion, said, “Due to ongoing legal proceedings involving the Green Charter Township Board, Gotion has chosen to temporarily pause public statements to respect the legal process and ensure fairness. However, this will not affect its ongoing commitment to advancing the project. We look forward to resuming communications and sharing more exciting updates once these matters are appropriately resolved.”

Committee urges action against forced labor in battery supply chains.

In the November 22nd statement, statement, the Select Committee says, “While we are pleased with this initial step, we remain concerned that CATL and Gotion’s supply chains are deeply tied to the Xinjiang region. It is past time to stop spending taxpayer dollars partnering with Gotion and CATL. American companies should cut ties with these Chinese Communist Party-aligned battery companies and focus on developing a resilient supply chain free of forced labor.”

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The statement goes on to say, “The Biden-Harris Administration rules that would allow American taxpayer dollars to subsidize Chinese batteries tainted by slave labor must also be reversed. Additionally, we must advance our bipartisan legislation, the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependency Act, to not only eradicate forced labor from U.S. supply chains, but to reduce our dependency on China.”

Legislation to the rescue (maybe).

However, while the legislation gathers dust, Gotion’s project in Mecosta County, a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Green Charter Township, near Big Rapids, continues to inch forward. In August 2024, a federal judge upheld a preliminary injunction requiring Green Charter Township to comply with a development agreement with Gotion. This decision allows Gotion to proceed with the project while the lawsuit is ongoing.

Bottom line: Who and what is really driving this EV revolution?

As the U.S. rushes toward an electric future, some are asking if we are swapping oil dependency for something even more troubling. Until American leaders clean up the supply chain mess, American taxpayers may be funding more than just “green energy.”