A U.S. battery manufacturer supported by the Biden administration relies on technology from a company led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In June 2023, The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded KORE Power, a battery firm based in the U.S., an $850 million loan to construct its “KOREPlex” battery-cell production facility in Arizona. DOE labeled the loan as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to “onshore [electric vehicle] supply chains.”
Nothing to see here. Just more for the Big Guy 👇
The Dept of Energy awarded KORE Power an $850 million loan to construct its KOREPlex battery-cell production facility in AZ. KOREPlex will rely on tech from CCP manufacturing co, Do-Flouride New Materialshttps://t.co/LPkXRFOFAM
— Joe Has Dementia (@RokerGlasses) June 27, 2023
According to DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO) Director Jigar Shah, KOREPlex will rely on technology from the firm’s long-time Chinese manufacturing partner, Do-Fluoride New Materials (DFD).
“In this deal that we most recently announced two weeks ago, KORE, it’s an American company … they’ve been around for a long time, but they are using technology from a Chinese company, DFD, to manufacture battery cells in Arizona,” Shah said., yet he did not mention the Chinese company in question is closely connected to the CCP.
In 2021, the Central Committee of the CCP honored DFD’s chairman, Li Shijang, as an “Outstanding Communist Party Member.” Shijang was previously honored in 2019 as one of 19 “Outstanding Veterans of the Year,” having served as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to Reuters, Xue Xujin, who serves as deputy general manager of DFD, is also a member of the CCP.
In July 2016, DFD was named to the “National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization,” an honor provided to “outstanding” organizations associated with the CCP.
In recent years, party committees, known as cells, have risen in popularity so that the CCP can ensure that corporate governance “behaves” in a way consistent with what the government calls “Chinese characteristics.”
In 2016, DFD’s party secretary Han Shijun said it was necessary to incorporate party-building work into the aspects of the company to ensure optimal performance.
In 2022, DFD republished an article from the Chinese-speaking publication Henan Daily, praising the company’s innovation and leadership. It links DFD’s success to its embrace of the CCP’s “spirit.”
DFD also won the National Science and Technology Progress Award, which the CCP awards to “citizens and organizations,” for its “outstanding contributions” to science in 2017.
