The Trump administration slams Ford for its ties to China

Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Trump administration on Tuesday expressed “profound concern” to carmaker Ford about its alleged ties to Chinese technology and manufacturing.

In a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited Ford’s links to Chinese companies such as battery manufacturer CATL and concerns over the Detroit Auto Show and what it described as Ford’s effort “to facilitate Chinese joint ventures on United States soil.”

Ford, which called itself “the most American automaker” quickly responded, accusing Duffy’s letter of containing “factual errors.”

“Secretary Duffy’s letter is a wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines at the expense of a company that has done more for American manufacturing than virtually any other in the nation’s history,” Ford said in the statement Tuesday.

The exchange reflects the Trump administration’s growing pressure to American makers to produce in the United States through auto tariffs, including ones just waged against Canada’s auto industry . At the same time, experts told CNN that Chinese car companies – which already make more vehicles than anyone else on Earth – could be in US showrooms in the next five to 10 years.

Trump had previously welcomed Chinese automakers to manufacture in the US, saying “let China come in,” in January at the Detroit Economic Club. Some lawmakers and the US auto industry argued that shouldn’t happen.

In Duffy’s letter to Ford’s CEO, he said “the Company’s recent strategic decisions paint a troubling picture of a foundational American brand actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises.”

He specifically called out “Ford’s continued reliance on licensed technology from Chinese battery manufacturer CATL at the operational BlueOval Battery Park facility in Marshall, Michigan.”

Ford, in its response, said the Michigan facility created 1,700 jobs to produce Michigan-made batteries.

“The CATL arrangement is a limited technology-licensing and services agreement, not a joint venture or foreign-owned manufacturing operation. Ford owns the plant, controls the operation and employs the workforce,” Ford said.

Duffy also raised concern over Farley proposing a framework at the Detroit Auto Show “to facilitate Chinese joint ventures on United States soil.” Ford denied this in its statement, saying the company did not propose a joint-venture framework as Duffy described.

Ford was also criticized for its decision to delay moving production of some Lincoln models from China to the US until 2030, which the Trump administration said would leave the company reliant on China.

“Had Secretary Duffy reached out before issuing his letter to the press, we would have been happy to share more details about Ford’s U.S. commitment,” Ford’s statement said.

Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Getty Images

周二，特朗普政府就汽车制造商福特涉嫌与中国技术和制造业存在联系一事，向其表达了“深切关注”。

在致福特首席执行官吉姆·法利的一封信中，交通部长肖恩·达菲提到了福特与中国公司（如电池制造商宁德时代）的联系，以及对底特律车展的担忧，并称福特“试图促进中国企业在美国成立合资企业”。

自称“最美国化的汽车制造商”的福特迅速做出回应，指责达菲的信中包含“事实错误”。

福特公司周二在一份声明中表示：“达菲部长的信函是错误的，她试图通过牺牲一家对美国制造业贡献最大的公司来博取眼球，而这家公司在美国历史上对制造业的贡献几乎超过了任何其他公司。”

这一交锋反映出特朗普政府正通过汽车关税（包括最近对加拿大汽车行业征收的关税）不断向美国制造商施压，要求其在美国生产。与此同时，专家告诉CNN，中国汽车公司——其汽车产量已超过全球任何其他国家——可能在未来五到十年内进入美国市场。

特朗普此前曾欢迎中国汽车制造商来美生产，今年1月在底特律经济俱乐部表示“让中国进来”。但一些议员和美国汽车行业人士认为这不应该发生。

在达菲写给福特首席执行官的信中，他表示“该公司最近的战略决策描绘了一幅令人不安的景象，即一个具有奠基意义的美国品牌正在积极地将其未来与中国国有企业捆绑在一起。”

他特别指出“福特在位于密歇根州马歇尔的 BlueOval 电池园工厂继续依赖中国电池制造商宁德时代 (CATL) 的授权技术”。

福特公司在回应中表示，密歇根州的这家工厂创造了 1700 个就业岗位，用于生产密歇根州制造的电池。

福特表示：“与宁德时代（CATL）的合作是一项有限的技术许可和服务协议，并非合资企业或外资制造企业。福特拥有该工厂，控制其运营并雇佣员工。”

达菲还对法利在底特律车展上提出的“旨在促进中国企业在美国成立合资企业的框架”表示担忧。福特在声明中否认了这一说法，称公司并未提出达菲所描述的合资企业框架。

福特公司还因其决定将部分林肯车型的生产从中国转移到美国的时间推迟到 2030 年而受到批评，特朗普政府表示，这将使该公司依赖中国。

福特公司在一份声明中表示：“如果达菲部长在向媒体发表公开信之前与我们联系，我们很乐意分享更多关于福特在美国的承诺的细节。”