Lawmaker Urges CFIUS to Block Building of Chinese Factory in Kansas

Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., called on two key members of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to prevent Cnano Technology USA, a subsidiary of China-based Cnano Jiangsu Technology Co. Ltd., from opening a manufacturing plant for electric vehicle battery parts in Johnson County, Kansas.

In a Jan. 8 letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, LaTurner said the parent company has received funding from the Chinese government, including from a program that he said seeks to steal U.S. technology. He also said that the site’s proximity to several U.S. military bases could enable espionage.

"I have strong concerns about granting a company with proven and significant ties to the [Chinese Communist Party] permission to operate as a critical component supplier to the burgeoning field of electronics and battery production and within such close proximity to United States’ military bases,” LaTurner wrote.

A Treasury Department spokesperson declined to comment. Cnano and DOD didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a Jan. 11 letter to his state’s governor and legislative leaders, LaTurner urged passage of legislation to derail the Cnano project.