Michigan has awarded $732.9 million in state incentives to Gotion, a China-based company, to prepare its Big Rapids site for a new battery components facility.

During a recent congressional hearing, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland), who represents Big Rapids, raised national security concerns about the project. He asked Bill Evanina, the former national director of counterespionage, whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might use the Gotion facility for espionage purposes.

“100%,” Evanina responded. “There will be an effort by the Communist Party of China to infiltrate that capability via cyber, human, and hybrid methods—using businessmen and engineers, what we call the non-traditional collector. They will go above and beyond to implement their efforts in that particular technology that is in your district.”

Evanina, who left federal service in 2021 after a long career in intelligence, now advises corporate CEOs on risk.

As a member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Moolenaar argued that Gotion’s pledged allegiance to the CCP in its bylaws should disqualify the company from receiving public funding.

“For our state to welcome CCP investment in Michigan, 100 miles from the same facility where the Michigan National Guard has worked with military officials from Taiwan, is a dangerous double standard that puts national security at risk. This land purchase is the wrong direction for Michigan and our communities,” Moolenaar said.

The project is expected to generate more than $2.3 billion in capital investment and create 2,350 new jobs, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.