A small Michigan town, Green Charter Township, took its fight against a Chinese-owned battery plant to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio on May 8.
The case highlights growing unease on the local, state, and federal levels regarding Chinese land purchases in rural areas, especially those near military facilities or sensitive infrastructure.
In the Gotion Inc. v. Green Charter Township case, arguments on May 8 centered on whether the township breached its agreements with Gotion and a lower court’s preliminary injunction ordering the township to fulfill those agreements.
The controversy surrounding the case began when community members voiced concerns about Gotion’s ties with China after the township board voted to support the project in 2022....
