Chinese battery giant Gotion accused of 'bullying' rural Michigan community after CCP-linked firm SUES town over its resistance to $2.4BILLION plant

A Chinese battery giant has sued a small Michigan town over its opposition to plans to build a $2.4billion factory in its community, sparking accusations it is trying to 'bully' residents into submission.

Gotion, which 'pledges allegiance' to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), stepped up its war with Green Charter Township on Friday by filing a federal complaint accusing local officials of trying to scupper the project illegally.

The row centers over a deal agreed between Gotion and the previous township board, which was booted out by residents in a recall election in November over its support for the project.

Gotion has now accused the new board, which opposes the project on national security and environmental grounds, of failing to honor a contract that allows it access to crucial water supplies.

The lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in a tussle which has sparked fierce debate over the perceived Chinese infiltration of American society.

Residents of the idyllic Green Charter Township in Michigan are leading a fightback against a Chinese-linked battery firm being built in their community.(L-R) Residents Kelly Cushway, Lori Brock, Debbie Diegert and Jeff Thorne protest the deal 

A graphic rendering of the battery plant Gotion seeks to build in Green Charter Township

The town is divided over whether the project will boost the local economy or threaten national security and damage the surrounding environment 

Township trustee Jeff Thorne described it as an 'aggressive move', accusing the Chinese firm of trying to intimate residents into submission.

'They are flexing their muscles,' he told DailyMail.com. 'It's a bully pit move. They're trying to say: "We're big, we've got lots of money and will take you to federal court".

'They assume we don't have the time or resources to counter that.

'But that's not true. We've rolled up our sleeves. We're in this for the long haul.'

The site is already under construction and Gotion completed the purchase of 270 acres of land in the community in August last year.

The firm says the project will bring 2,350 'well-paying' jobs to the town, located around 60 miles north of Grand Rapids.

It is also set to receive $175 million in state tax incentives and a 30-year tax abatement worth an estimated $540 million as part of its deal to locate in Mecosta County.

But politicians and residents have raised concerns over allowing a CCP-subsidiary to move into a site that is just 100 miles away from a US military camp where the Michigan National Guard has been training troops from Taiwan - a territory neighboring China some security experts, including among the US military, say Beijing is preparing to invade.

They have also cited environmental concerns, opposing the construction of an industrial factory in a rural idyll where rivers feed the Great Lakes of Michigan.

In November, residents kicked out their township board in a seismic recall election and inserted officials opposed to the project in their place.

Physical therapist Jeff Thorne, 64, who was elected as a town trustee last year, accused Gotion of trying to 'bully' residents into accepting their plans for a giant EV battery plant

Jason Kruse, pictured here, led a revolt against the township of Green Charter's local government on Tuesday after they backed China-linked company Gotion

Set to be built on the outskirts of Big Rapids, the planned plant would be set only a few miles from one of the state's National Guard bases

A billboard expresses the feelings of many residents of the 3,200-strong township, who oppose the building of a battery factory in the area by CCO-subsidiary Gotion

Led by supervisor Jason Kruse, the new board has made clear it wants to halt construction.

But Gotion has previously suggested that resistance was futile, with the project already signed off by the previous board in a binding deal.

Its lawsuit, however, suggests it is concerned the board's actions could scupper its plans.

In its filing, the firm claimed that the township has reneged on its contractual obligations after initially adopting a resolution approving the company's plans to connect Big Rapids' water system to the project.

The resolution, adopted by the old board, has since been ditched by its successors. 

Gotion said the water resolution 'is a critical part of the project's success', with a potential need for up to 715,000 gallons per day in the initial phases of the operation.

It is seeking a preliminary injunction from the court to direct the township to connect the water lines to its plant.

'To prevent the township's sudden recalcitrance from unraveling an endeavor already years and millions of dollars in the making, this court should order the township to comply with its obligations under the parties' agreement,' Gotion said.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan, highlighted the new township board's hostility to the project, citing comments made by Kruse to DailyMail.com last year in which he said it 'can be stopped, 100 percent'.

The board supervisor added Monday that he was 'saddened and disheartened' by Gotion's decision to sue the township.

'This is a classic case of David v. Goliath,' he told DailyMail.com. 'We won't be bullied by a large corporation, not allowing us to have a say in what happens within our township.'

Trustee Thorne said the view among the board was that the contract between Gotion and their predecessors was 'null and void' because it had not been 'properly executed'.

He claimed the proposal had never come back for a second reading or been fully scrutinized by residents.

China owns 383,935 acres of US farmland as of December 2021, with almost half of it in Texas

Although it is backed by Volkswagen with operations in Germany, Gotion's parent company is based in China.

Critics of the Michigan project have highlighted a clause in its business filings that states the company 'shall set up a party organization and carry out party activities in accordance with the constitution of the Communist Party of China'.

The company has publicly denied allegiance to the Communist Party, but China has moved in recent years to enhance the CCP's influence in Chinese firms, where maintaining a party unit is often required under law.

In a statement late Friday, Chuck Thelen, vice president of North American manufacturing for Gotion Inc., expressed regret that the lawsuit was necessary.

'It's unfortunate that Gotion has had to resort to litigation to get the township to comply with their obligations under the agreement,' Thelen said. 'We're unable to comment further since this is now an ongoing legal matter.'

The CCP has a stake in 383,935 acres of American agricultural land as of December 2021, according to the latest figures released by the US Department of Agriculture.

It has sparked a national debate over why the US is allowing a hostile state to buy up vital land across the country amid concerns over espionage and security.