U.S. officials have criticized Ford’s partnerships with Chinese companies CATL, Geely and BYD over security risks.
Published September 8, 2026
The U.S. Department of Transportation has sent a letter to Ford Motor Co., Ltd. expressing concern about Ford Motor Co.’s partnership with a Chinese company amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and China.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley that Ford’s partnerships with Chinese battery maker CATL and automakers Geely and BYD raise national security concerns. The letter was made public on Tuesday, but was only sent late last week.
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Duffy questioned Ford’s partnership with CATL at its Marshall, Michigan, plant, where Ford produces lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells.
“Prioritizing imports of technical expertise and operational know-how from China, even if it reduces production capacity, challenges the spirit of U.S. national and economic security and supply chain independence policies,” the letter said.
CATL was one of the companies banned by the US Department of Defense in January 2025, before President Donald Trump took office.
Mr Duffy claimed that the joint venture with Spain’s Geely carmaker would “help the strategic adversary secure a significant foothold in Western markets”.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) also questioned Ford’s discussions with China’s BYD over hybrid vehicle parts, saying it “could lead to further integration of subsidized foreign technology into Ford’s core supply chain.”
Ford had planned to move production of the Lincoln Nautilus from China to the United States by 2030.
But that’s not enough, Duffy said, saying the decision “leads us into a multi-year period of unacceptable dependence on Chinese manufacturing.”
“When a company intentionally chooses to deepen its operational dependence on a strategic competitor, it fails to serve as the trusted partner that the American people and the U.S. Department of Transportation require. Attempting to navigate the current situation in a way that enriches precisely those competitors is not a sustainable strategy for the United States,” the letter states.
Ford stock fell 4.2% on Tuesday following the letter. The company did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
