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A Chinese battery manufacturer’s plans to build a plant in a small village in the midwestern United States could well influence the outcome of the presidential election that is less than a month away.
The dispute over the US$2.4 billion project by China-based Gotion High-Tech for Green Charter Township in the US state of Michigan has been brewing for some time. A year ago, local residents ousted five of the seven township officials in a recall vote over their approval of the project.
In March, Gotion sued the township in federal court after the new officials withdrew their support for the project, winning a preliminary injunction that have allowed the factory plans to proceed. The lawsuit is pending.
With 15 electoral college votes, Michigan is a key swing state crucial to both the Democratic and Republican paths to victory. Former US president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, won the state in 2016 but lost it to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Although Michigan’s governor, state legislature and congressional delegation are Democratic, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee, faces dissent from within her party in the state, particularly among Arab-Americans – who make up 4 per cent of Michigan’s population – frustrated with the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.