In 2023, the United States (U.S.) House of Representatives established the “House Select Committee on Strategy Competition between the U.S.…
Shining Headlights on Ford’s Demolition Derby with Rep. John Moolenaar
In 2023, the United States (U.S.) House of Representatives established the “House Select Committee on Strategy Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party.” The Select Committee on China (hereinafter “Committee”)’s purpose is to “investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.”[1] From the get-go, the Committee has taken it upon itself to shed a spotlight on American corporations that operate in China, American firms doing business with Chinese ones, and Chinese firms that have a presence in the U.S. Firms in the Committee’s sights since its founding including Apple, Google, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, Nvidia, Starbucks, and Verizon. The Committee has raised questions about media censorship, derided support for the financing of Chinese companies like Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) and Shein that it deems, respectively, military-linked and/or promoting human rights violations in Xinjiang, and lambasted pharmaceutical company for conducting drug development clinical trials at Chinese military centers and hospitals and in Xinjiang.[2] Furthermore, the Committee has raised concerns about money laundering that might be flow from PayPal’s cooperation with Chinese payment apps, pressured companies like Google to do more to block Chinese payment scams, and demanded data from Nvidia about the potentially illegal acquisition of its chips.[3] Some companies have responded positively to the Committee’s calls for action while others have ignored them.
As search of the Committee website indicates, Ford, the U.S.’s 2nd largest automobile firm, has long been a favorite punching bag of the Committee. It is featured in 9 articles, 12 press releases, and more. It has been criticized for its electric vehicle (EV) battery licensing deals with CATL and possibly associated use of Chinese workers.[4] It has been demonized for working with four Chinese companies (it has not named them) that it charges supply hardware and software to the Chinese military, Chinese public security agencies, and North Korea and thereby present cybersecurity threats.[5] It has been disparaged for working with Chinese corporations such as BYD and endangering the auto supply chain, potentially collaborating with Xiaomi which it ties to the Chinese military and partnering with Geely on a joint venture in Spain and thereby empowering the advancement of the Chinese auto sector while contributing to the enervation of the European one.[6] Ford’s frictions with the Committee are particularly noteworthy given that the Committee’s current chair, Congressman John Moolenaar, heralds from Michigan (though his district does not include Dearborn) and has been directly and indirectly lobbied by local politicians to back Ford’s cooperation with CATL.[7]
Ford has been unresponsive to Moolenaar and the Committee’s missives. Indeed, in late September, Ford CEO Jim Farley made clear that his company intended to keep cooperating with Chinese ones. Farley said, “‘We’re going to partner with the Chinese where we don’t have IP, where we can be more capital-efficient in places like Europe or Southeast Asia.’”[8] Regarding his firm’s licensing arrangement with CATL, Farley remarked, “‘That’s our factory’…the partnership is “‘a good solution. It’s American jobs. We’re learning. We’re solving problems together. It’s better than importing batteries.’”[9] If Committee reports are accurate, not only has Ford dug in its heels behaviorally and rhetorically, it also has been stonewalling, limiting the disclosure of information that would increase the transparency of its dealings with China companies.[10]
It is an interesting question why Ford has been so willing to ignore Moolenaar and the Committee and strong criticism from President Donald Trump administration officials such as its Secretary of Transportation who called upon Ford to end its links with major Chinese corporations.[11] One potential rationale is that there are divisions in the administration and the American Congress regarding cooperation with Chinese automobile firms, EV oriented or otherwise. As for the former, the White House posted on social media: “‘Ford is a GREAT American company and has done a tremendous job on increasing investments domestically and shoring production back to the U.S.’”[12] Moreover, while it cannot be said Farley has the ear of President Trump on matters like tariffs, news reports indicate there is an open channel of communication and cordial relations.[13] Another possibility is that Ford/Farley do not believe Moolenaar has much political power. Of the 111 bills he introduced, only 2 trivial ones (involving facility renaming) have become law and only 8 of his bills, none relating to China, have passed the House.[14] On a related note, Ford also has a powerful and well-funded lobbying operation, with the company spending $3 million a year on lobbying.[15] Yet another reason might be that Ford feels confident that its corporate image, brand, and consumer appeal will not decline meaningfully despite the Committee’s repeated broadsides against it. Indeed, in a recent survey, it was ranked as the “Most American Brand” in the entire country by both Republicans and Democrats![16] We should not reject the possibility that Ford has opted to steer its own course with respect to Chinese company collaborations out of economic desperation: something akin to “if you can’t beat them join them.”
It remains to be seen if Ford would be better served by braking [sic] some of its China connections or if it should step on the accelerator. Whatever the case, it has to be attentive to the political winds in Washington and the White House, the power of the Select Committee and its chair, its support base in Congress as a whole, and consumer preferences. Putting things on autopilot would likely be a recipe for driving off the road.
[1] “H.Res. 11-Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Part, 118th Congress (2023-2024),” n.d., https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/11/all-actions.
[2] In order of mention, “Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi Seek Info from Apple on Cancellation of Show Amid Reports of Differences on PRC-Related Content,” Select Committee on China [hereinafter Committee], November 15, 2023, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-krishnamoorthi-seek-info-apple-cancellation-show-amid-reports; “Select Committee on China Calls on JPMorgan and Bank of America to Withdraw from IPO Deal with Chinese Military-Linked Company,” Committee, April 17, 2025, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/select-committee-on-china-calls-on-jpmorgan-and-bank-of-america-to-withdraw-from-ipo-deal-with-chinese-military-linked-company; “Moolenaar: JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, & Morgan Stanley Underwrite Shein’s Slave Labor,” Committee, August 25, 2026, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-jp-morgan-goldman-sachs-morgan-stanley-underwrite-shein-s-slave-labor; “Pfizer Conducted Clinical Trials at Chinese Military Hospitals,” Committee, June 30, 2026, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/letters/pfizer-conducted-clinical-trials-at-chinese-military-hospitals.
[3] “Letter to PayPal Seeking Assurance of AML Compliance in PayPal–Weixin Pay Integrations,” Committee, September 22, 2025, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/letters/letter-to-paypal-seeking-assurance-of-aml-compliance-in-paypal-weixin-pay-integrations; “Lawmakers Raise Concerns to Google about CCP-Linked Scams Draining Billions from Americans,” Committee, July 9, 2025, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/letters/lawmakers-raise-concerns-to-google-about-ccp-linked-scams-draining-billions-from-americans; and “Nvidia Letter (Mr. Jensen Huang, CEO),” May 1, 2025, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/letters/nvidia-letter-mr-jensen-huang-ceo.
[5] “Gallagher, McMorris Rodgers Uncover Ford’s Plan to Use Chinese Technology Tied to the Chinese Military, North Korean Government, and Uyghur Genocide at its Joint Factory with CATL,” Committee, January 29, 2024, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-mcmorris-rodgers-uncover-fords-plan-use-chinese-technology-tied.
[6] “Moolenaar: Ford Should Work With Our Allies, Not Our Adversaries,” Committee, January 15, 2026, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-ford-should-work-with-our-allies-not-our-adversaries; “Moolenaar: Reported Ford Joint Venture Would be “‘A Deal only Xi Jinping Could Love,” Committee, January 31, 2026, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-reported-ford-joint-venture-would-be-a-deal-only-xi-jinping-could-love; and “Ford Actively Helping the Rise of China’s Auto Industry,” Committee, July 23, 2026, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/ford-actively-helping-the-rise-of-china-s-auto-industry.
[7] “Moolenaar Rejects Michigan Mayor’s Request to Support Taxpayer Funding for Ford’s CATL Partnership,” Committee, May 9, 2025, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-rejects-michigan-mayors-request-support-taxpayer-funding-fords-catl.
[8] Azusa Kawakami, “Ford, GM Hold On to China EV Ties Despite Curbs,” Nikkei Asia, October 1, 2026, https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/ford-gm-hold-on-to-china-ev-ties-despite-us-curbs.
[9] Jamie L. LaReau, “Ford CEO Jim Farley Defends Automaker’s Ties to Chinese Companies,” Detroit Free Press, September 29, 2026, https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2026/09/29/ford-ceo-jim-farley-defends-automakers-ties-to-chinese-companies/92009550007.
[10] “Gallagher, Smith, Rodgers Seek Compliance After Ford Refuses to Cooperate with Investigations into CCP Aligned EV Battery Partnership,” Committee, September 27, 2023, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/investigations/gallagher-smith-rodgers-seek-compliance-after-ford-refuses-cooperate.
[11] David Shepardson, “Trump Administration Blasts Ford’s Business Deals with Chinese Firms,” Reuters, September 8, 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trump-administration-blasts-ford-business-deals-with-chinese-firms-2026-09-08.
[12] David Shepardson, “Republican Lawmakers Criticize Ford Business Ties to China,” Reuters, September 9, 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/republican-lawmakers-criticize-ford-business-ties-china-2026-09-09.
[13] Badar Shaikh, “Ford’s Jim Farley Praises Trump for Being Easy to Work with, But Says Needs to do More to Curtail China’s Dominance,” Yahoo! Finance, January 17, 2026, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fords-jim-farley-praises-trump-033118384.html.
[14] “Representative John R. Moolenaar,” n.d., https://www.congress.gov/member/john-moolenaar/M001194?hl=john+moolenaar&q=%7B%22sponsorship%22%3A%22sponsored%22%7D.
[15] “Ford Motor Co,” OpenSecrets, n.d., https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/ford-motor-co/summary?id=D000000182.
[16] Sophie Compton, “Ford Wins over Democrats and Republicans as ‘Most America’ Brand in New Survey,” Fox Business, March 6, 2026, https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/ford-wins-over-democrats-republicans-most-american-brand-new-survey.
