Ford rejects Sean Duffy's China deals criticism

Ford Motor Company rejected US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's criticism on Tuesday after he accused the Detroit automaker of deepening reliance on Chinese technology and companies.

In a letter to Ford chief executive Jim Farley published on the Department of Transportation website, Duffy said Ford's use of technology from Chinese battery maker CATL at the BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall, Michigan, challenged US national and economic security and supply-chain independence policies.

Duffy also criticised a Ford joint venture with China's Geely in Spain and the company's decision to wait until 2030 to move Lincoln manufacturing from China back to the United States.

Ford said the letter contained factual errors and misstated its operations. It said the CATL arrangement is a limited technology-licensing and services agreement, not a joint venture or foreign-owned manufacturing operation. Ford said it owns the plant, controls the operation and employs the workforce.

Ford also pointed to an August 31 White House release that cited the company's $3 billion investment in the Marshall plant and said it would create 1,700 jobs, as well as comments from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick praising Ford's manufacturing plans.