According to Bloomberg, four US senators are set to visit Detroit on June 20th to urge Ford and General Motors to reduce their dependency on Chinese supply chains, particularly in the electric vehicle battery sector.
An insider revealed that the four senators are members of the newly formed House China Select Committee and will express concerns about Ford's collaboration with Chinese battery manufacturer CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.) and the broader reliance of various automakers on China. It is reported that the senators will meet with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, and Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, among other company executives.
In a statement, Ford expressed its agreement with the committee's goal of strengthening US competitiveness and establishing a domestic electric vehicle supply chain. "At tomorrow's meeting, we plan to share what we're doing. Our fully owned electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Michigan is just the latest example," said Ford.
General Motors stated in a statement that its executives regularly meet with officials to discuss issues that are important to their business, employees, dealers, and customers.
On June 18th, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, stated that the US must take measures to weaken China's advantage in the electric vehicle battery sector and referred to refining capabilities for critical materials as a "solvable" issue. Buttigieg emphasized the need for the US to ensure that it has an economically viable, environmentally responsible, and geopolitically stable way to obtain these elements that are increasingly crucial for the US economy.
