A GOP lawmaker from Michigan has urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to scrutinize Chinese companies gaining access to the U.S. auto market.
Scrutinize Malign Foreign Investments
In a letter to Bessent on Thursday, Rep. John Moolenar (R-MI) urged the Treasury Secretary to exercise "heightened scrutiny" of "inbound investment push from China" and Chinese businesses wanting to expand market access in critical manufacturing sectors in the U.S.
He also said that if it were left unchecked, the administration risks undermining its own efforts to "safeguard national security, prevent foreign adversary control over critical infrastructure, and rebuild American industrial strength."
"Beijing seeks to subsidize its broken economic model on the back of the American taxpayer," Moolenar said in the letter. He then outlined how Chinese companies were "sustained by state support," allowing them to operate at a loss for extended periods.
"In lithium-ion batteries, a foundational technology, China has leveraged sustained state support and domestic procurement policies to achieve dominance," Moolenar said, adding that in the automotive sector, Chinese automakers have "benefited from protected domestic markets and state-backed capital."
He then raised an alarm about allowing Chinese automakers into the U.S. market, which would put American automakers in "direct competition with firms that have no need to compete on genuine market disciplines."
Zeekr's U.S. Debut?
The news comes as Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (OTC:GELYF) (OTC:GELHY) was mulling an entry into the U.S. market via its Zeekr brand in the next 2-3 years, as shared by Ash Sutcliffe, who is Geely’s Head of Global Communications during January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026.
Zeekr already has a partnership in place with Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Robotaxi service Waymo, as it provides the Robotaxi operator with the "Ojai" robotaxi, fitted with Waymo's Sixth-generation autonomous driving suite.
Ford Floats Chinese JV
Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley floated the idea of forming joint ventures with Chinese automakers to manufacture vehicles in the U.S. with American companies maintaining a controlling stake in the venture. Ford also recently held talks with BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY) (OTC:BYDDF) to expand battery-supply partnerships.
Meanwhile, BYD has registered its Shenzhen and Xi'an factories as potential exporters of its vehicles to Canada, following a trade agreement between Canada and China, which would see over 49,000 Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada at a lower tariff of 6.1%.
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