A new report claims a firm owned by a Chinese company that is planning to construct a manufacturing facility near multiple U.S. military bases in the Midwest has well-established ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to a report by The Daily Caller, which is based on research by Heritage Action and The Heritage Foundation Oversight Project, Cnano Technology USA Inc. (Cnano USA) is planning to build a 333,000-square-foot facility located in Johnson County, Kansas. The facility will be used to manufacture parts used in electric vehicles batteries and other products.
The Daily Caller reported that the new $95 million manufacturing facility will be located roughly 35 miles from Fort Leavenworth and about 70 miles from Whiteman Air Force Base.
Cnano USA is owned by C-Nano Technology Co., Ltd., which was launched by Cnano Jiangsu Technology Co., Ltd. (Cnano Jiangsu), a China-based organization, according to an annual report published by Cnano Jiangsu in 2022.
The Daily Caller reported that Cnano Jiangsu’s 2022 social responsibility report shows that dozens of CCP members are employed by the company. Additionally, the company’s website shows it has “undertaken a number of national 863” projects, which The Daily Caller said is a reference to a program by the Chinese government that has been accused of being used to steal U.S. technology.
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Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), the chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, told The Daily Caller that the company’s ties to China are concerning.
“Just ask yourself the question: can Americans buy land in China near its military bases? Of course, the answer is no,” Gallagher stated. “It is a bad, bad idea to let the CCP or CCP-affiliated entities buy land near military bases in the U.S. We cannot allow the CCP to collect valuable intelligence here at home that they might leverage in the event of a crisis.”
Mike Howell, The Heritage Foundation Oversight Project’s director, told The Daily Caller that Americans “deserve to know” whether companies owned by foreign entities that are expanding their presence in U.S. communities are “operating in good faith or aiming to advance the interests of communist regimes.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) expressed his concerns to The Daily Caller regarding Cnano USA’s plan to build a manufacturing facility in the state of Kansas.
“When this was brought to our attention, we alerted the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI) and asked them to review this company and its origins,” Marshall explained. “I look forward to their findings and want to know what guardrails are in place to ensure our national security is prioritized above all else.”
Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Cella also provided a statement to The Daily Caller, warning against Chinese companies that are developing a presence in the United States. Cella claimed that while the deals may “appear benign” at first, they are “perilous and need to be engaged transparently.” The former U.S. Ambassador said the deals should be subjected to “strict scrutiny and due diligence,” adding, “We are involved in a second Cold War now with China.”
