National Defense

Chinese Battery Maker With US Presence Partners With University Tied To China’s Defense Machine

A Chinese battery maker whose U.S. subsidiary is looking to build major factories in America entered into a research agreement with a Chinese university known for collaborating with the Chinese security state.

Gotion High-Tech, which owns the U.S.-based battery company Gotion, entered into a research and development memorandum of understanding with Tsinghua University, a Beijing university with a “documented history” of advancing China’s military and security state with defense research and alleged involvement in cyberattacks, according to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Gotion, which is tied to the Chinese state through its parent company, is seeking to build major taxpayer-subsidized facilities in Michigan and Illinois, but its China connections have complicated its plans to do so by inviting scrutiny from China hawks and elected Republicans.

The Midwesterner first reported on the new memorandum of understanding between Gotion High-Tech and Tsinghua University, which public relations newswires state the two sides reached on Nov. 21. Various Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings with the U.S. government show that Gotion is “owned and controlled” by Gotion High-Tech and that Gotion has received Chinese state subsidies.

“Under the [memorandum], the two parties will leverage their respective strengths to advance cross-disciplinary strategic cooperation and innovation. Key areas of focus include next-generation power battery technologies, essential battery materials, safety performance, and manufacturing processes,” reads a Nov. 28 press release posted to Shanghai Metal Market, a website specifically focused on the metals industry. “The partnership also aims to transform research outcomes into practical applications. Future collaboration will emphasize breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, innovations in testing methods, smart digital R&D, and industrial applications, fostering resource sharing and coordinated innovation.”

The House Select Committee on the CCP is not the only entity to have raised concerns about the relationship shared between Tsinghua University — often referred to as “China’s MIT” — and the Chinese security apparatus. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) classifies Tsinghua University as “very high risk for its high level of defense research and alleged involvement in cyber attacks.”

“Tsinghua engages in a range of military research and was awarded secret-level security credentials for classified research in 2007. In advancing military-civil fusion, Tsinghua also continues its ‘fine tradition’ of serving China’s national security and defense, actively creating new platforms and initiatives to support this strategy,” according to ASPI. “Not only its dedicated defense laboratories but also a range of key laboratories and research institutions at the university have received funding from the military. Since at least 2012, Tsinghua has also been jointly supervised by (China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense) as part of a program to deepen its defense research and links to the defense sector.”

Gotion’s factory in Michigan is set to benefit from $175 million in state incentives and likely federal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill. In Illinois, the company is also hoping to establish operations with the help of $536 million in state subsidies on top of federal incentives.

The Daily Caller News Foundation has reported extensively on Gotion and its ties to the Chinese government by way of Gotion High-Tech, which employed more than 900 CCP members as of 2022.

A traveling delegation of CCP officials established a so-called talent recruitment “work station” at Gotion’s California offices in 2017, and an executive was pictured attending at least two meetings of Gotion High-Tech’s internal CCP committee in 2022, DCNF investigations have discovered. Additionally, video footage unearthed by the DCNF shows Gotion High-Tech employees dressed as Red Army soldiers and pledging loyalty to the CCP while on a company excursion.

Former CIA Director Leon Panetta testified to Congress in January that there is a strong possibility that the CCP uses Gotion’s planned facility “to gain the kind of advantages that they want that are counter, frankly, to the interests of the United States.”

“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,” John Whetstone, a spokesman for Gotion, said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “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.”

Whetstone did not address specific questions about Tsinghua University’s new partnership with Gotion High-Tech.

President-elect Donald Trump slammed Gotion and its intentions to set up shop in Michigan while on the campaign trail, posting to social media in August that the project would be “bad for the state and our country” if completed.

Gotion High-Tech and Tsinghua University did not respond immediately to requests for comment.