Trump administration and Republicans criticize Ford over Chinese tech partnerships
Ford is catching some serious flak from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers for teaming up with Chinese companies.
The main concerns? Ford is using battery tech from China's CATL at its Michigan plant, has a manufacturing venture with Geely in Spain, and is talking to BYD about hybrid batteries.
On September 8, 2026, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was "profound concern" about how much Ford relies on Chinese tech.
Ford defends $3B Michigan investment
Ford pushed back, saying its deal with CATL is just a limited tech license and the Michigan plant is fully owned by Ford, not any Chinese company.
It also denied that CEO Jim Farley wants to bring Chinese automakers into the US
Lawmakers criticized other partnerships too, but Ford said the Geely Valencia venture is a way to share costs and make better use of its Valencia operations.
Plus, it highlighted its $3 billion investment in Michigan that is approximately 1,700 jobs, something even the White House praised earlier.