cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/26734441
- The Gotion factory highlights the challenges Chinese companies face in the U.S., particularly during a climate of deep political polarization, nationalism, and growing suspicion toward China.
- A grassroots “No Go” movement, fueled by fears of communism and environmental concerns, successfully stalled the project in Michigan, leading to the ouster of local officials who supported the factory.
- The Gotion case shows the disconnect between national economic goals and local concerns, especially in communities wary of globalization and foreign investment.
This is a problem not only in the U.S. but anywhere. Just look at BYD’s recent factory spat in Brazil, where authorities closed the plant because of slavery-like conditions. As a result, the Chinese state -not the private company BYD- installed surveillance mechanism to prevent further in BYD’s Brazilian factory. We see similar things all across the world. This ‘deep suspicion’ has a reason. The Chinese government doesn’t care about even the most basic workers’ rights or any rights.
Addition: You may be interested in this post here on Lemmy: https://slrpnk.net/post/19370986
The article falls largely short of environmental aspects of this battery plant, more you can read here:
Project snapshot