Hundreds of people protested against a Chinese-owned electric vehicle battery plant being constructed in northern Michigan due to concerns about national security.
"How many abuses have we seen over the years from China? And to think that they will set up a battery factory in our state and they will just play by the rules? That makes no sense whatsoever," Michigan Republican chair Kristina Karamo said at the protest Saturday, NewsNation reported.
The company, Gotion, plans on building the plant 100 miles from Camp Grayling, where the Taiwanese military is being trained by the Michigan National Guard.
Gotion's corporate documents state that "the company shall set up a party organization and carry out party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China."
Proponents of the project say it will bring jobs to Michigan, and a Michigan Senate committee already approved allocating $175 million for the plant.
Michigan Republican Rep. John Moolenaar criticized the construction.
"[Chinese President] Xi Jinping has put himself in charge of the military civil fusion that basically says that anything business-related in China has military implications, and they reserve the right to extract that information. So, it really puts all these partnerships into question," he said.
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