Whitmer Appoints CEO Who Brought Chinese Battery Company to Michigan to Powerful State Board
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat from Michigan, has appointed Randy Thelen, the CEO of The Right Place, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit, to the Michigan Strategic Fund. The board approves the allocation of public grants and tax breaks to private businesses in the state.
Thelen helped The Right Place partner with Gotion, a Chinese battery company, to acquire land for a controversial Michigan factory that is receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds. Gotion's leader is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the company's bylaws mandate that it "carry out party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China."
Concerns over Gotion's presence in Michigan have prompted protests and questions from Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Debbie Dingell, who expressed worry about the project's national security implications.
Despite these concerns, Michigan's legislature recently approved $175 million in state funds to support Gotion, with $50 million going to The Right Place for site preparation and land acquisition. Thelen defended his Chinese partner, arguing that Gotion would merely be one of many Chinese-owned companies in Michigan. Thelen is related to Gotion's vice president of North American affairs, Chuck Thelen, but the cousins claim not to have known each other before working on the Gotion deal.
The conservative group Michigan Freedom Fund is critical of Whitmer's decision to appoint Thelen to an influential state board despite his involvement with Gotion. The group claims that this decision raises concerns about the governor's decision-making and signals her disdain for Michigan residents. Whitmer and The Right Place have not commented on the appointment.
Gotion is not the only Chinese company planning to settle in Michigan. Ford has announced plans to build an electric vehicle battery factory in partnership with Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL). CATL will provide technology, equipment, and workers to help build and run the factory. The project will qualify for federal subsidies under President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to help the United States "compete with China for the future."
The use of federal funds to partner with a Chinese company has sparked criticism from congressional Republicans. Senator Marco Rubio has introduced a bill that would prevent Ford from earning taxpayer dollars through its Chinese partnership, arguing that American workers should not have to subsidize Chinese companies that make batteries for electric vehicles.
