CEO Jim Farley hit back, saying the letter urging him to cut ties with firms like China’s CATL, Geely and BYD was ‘wrong-headed’
2-MIN READ2-MINReutersPublished: 7:37am, 9 Sep 2026The Trump administration on Tuesday blasted Ford Motor’s business partnerships with Chinese companies, saying they posed national security concerns.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley sent on Tuesday said the carmaker’s dealings with Chinese battery maker CATL and Chinese carmakers Geely and BYD raised “profound concern”.
He urged Ford to cut ties with major Chinese companies.
Duffy said USDOT was “deeply alarmed” by Ford’s reliance on licensed technology from Chinese battery manufacturer CATL at its plant in Marshall, Michigan, and noted that CATL is on the Pentagon’s list of companies accused of ties to China’s military.
He also criticised the company’s decision not to move production of the Lincoln Nautilus from China to the United States until 2030, as it left the company reliant on Chinese manufacturing for several more years.
Ford, in a statement, said Duffy’s “letter is a wrong-headed attempt to capture headlines”. The company added that “while others continue to import Chinese batteries, Ford is investing to build batteries here in America” and added that “Ford owns the plant, controls the operation and employs the workforce”.
