One Michigan resident issued a stark warning against the construction of Chinese-owned battery plants, arguing communities see the “writing on the wall” amid growing national security concerns.
Big Rapids resident Matthew Maczynski, who is also an Iraq War veteran, joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” to discuss why residents have pushed back against plans to build factories for Chinese-owned company Gotion Global.
“I have no idea,” Maczynski told Joey Jones, when asked if the state will stand up against the construction. “I know what I’d like to say, but I don’t know how true it is. A lot of people who are down to earth… I think we all see the writing on the wall.”
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Footage released by The Midwesterner on Twitter showed more than 100 people, from Big Rapids and Green Charter Township, who gathered to push back against the Gotion building project last week.
Maczynski was among the residents who attended the Green Charter Township board meeting to protest the decision.
“This is a Chinese-owned company,” Maczynski said during the meeting. “The Chinese-owned company is a communist company. Why would you bring a communist company to Big Rapids, Michigan when we have troops mobilizing right now to fight China?”
Michigan lawmakers approved $585 million in funding from the state to go toward the building of the plant, along with two others, that would produce electric vehicle batteries.
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The plant was approved for construction by a state economic development board and was originally supposed to be constructed on land in both Big Rapids and Green Charter Township.
But last month, Gotion put the planned construction in Big Rapids on hold after the town board unanimously voted days earlier to request a federal review for any potential national security risks associated with having a Chinese-owned company in the area, according to a report by The Detroit News.
Maczynski slammed politicians for their complicity in the construction, noting “they have no idea what they’re talking about.”
Local community members gather at a Green Charter Township board meeting on March 14, 2023 to express their anger over plans for a Chinese-owned company to construct a battery plant in the area. (Esteban Clark-Braendle)
“We just have an issue that China is moving in here and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Maczynski said. “Our people that are supposed to be looking out for us aren’t doing their due diligence as to looking into what all this entails.”
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He also cited economic concerns, noting that Michiganders would have to foot the bill for construction.
And although some residents support the plans for the jobs it will add to the labor market, Maczynski expressed concern over the profits, which could ultimately benefit Beijing.
“My problem is that the profits won’t even stay here in America,” Maczynski said. “They go over to China. They’re just using us as labor, and… Michigan taxpayers have to foot $700 million to build this thing, and they get it for 30 years tax-free.”
Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
