The subsidiary of a billion-dollar Chinese energy firm is suing a tiny Michigan town over local officials' opposition to the company's massive electric vehicle battery project. Gotion Inc. – whose parent company, Gotion High-Tech is based in Hefei, China, and has documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party – filed a breach-of-contract complaint against Green Charter Township in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
After the lawsuit was filed, meanwhile, Gotion was blasted by former U.S. Ambassadors Peter Hoekstra and Joseph Cella, who have led opposition to the company's plans over national security concerns. Last year, the pair founded the Michigan-China Economic and Security Review Group, a watchdog group devoted to reviewing Chinese economic investments across the country with a particular focus on Michigan.