Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) criticized a proposal to subsidize the construction of a Chinese-owned manufacturing plant in western Michigan with U.S. tax dollars during a rally on Aug. 27.
Approximately 1,000 attendees gathered to hear Vance speak out against the plan, which is supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). According to Vance, this proposal poses a threat to national security.
MEDC is an agency that aims to create jobs in Michigan through private investment and tax incentives.
Concerns about the plan were shared by preliminary speakers and some attendees at the rally. Lori Brock, who hosted the event on her horse farm in Green Charter Township, expressed disappointment with Gotion—the Chinese company behind the project—after it reversed its initial promise of high wages for employees.
Pete Hoekstra, chair of the Michigan Republican Party, expressed confidence that opposition to the project would be successful. He stated that although progress has been made over the past 17 months since this journey began, there is still work to be done before construction can begin on Gotion’s plant.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers also voiced his support for stopping this project as part of an effort to push China out of U.S. affairs.
Tom Carson, a local farmer attending the rally, expressed concerns about losing farmland due to this development. He estimated that around 2,000 acres would be lost if Gotion’s plans move forward.