LANSING, Mich. — Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, one of the most vocal critics of the push to bring a Chinese battery manufacturer's plant to Northern Michigan, lobbied a decade ago on behalf of a Chinese lumber and plywood company.
In public statements and media appearances, Hoekstra has railed against Gotion Inc.'s project in the Big Rapids area and has emphasized the threat he believes China poses to the U.S.
The former Republican congressman and U.S. ambassador to The Netherlands also has been listed as a member of the board of directors for the Mecosta Environmental Security Alliance, which was formed to fight the Gotion factory.
"This is the mentality of China," Hoekstra said during an April 18 press conference. "Businesses are there to serve the interest of the government. The interest of the government is the Chinese Communist Party and their agenda."
But Hoekstra has been less outspoken about his past work for Zhejiang Dehua TB Import & Export Co., which has been described as the "the largest and first public stock plywood and wood veneers" manufacturer in China.
The Washington, D.C.-based law firm Dickstein Shapiro listed Hoekstra as the lobbyist for Zhejiang Dehua TB Import & Export Co. on a 2013 filing with the U.S. House. Hoekstra served in the House from 1993 to 2011 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.
Hoekstra, of Holland, was hired to monitor "federal action and congressional outreach regarding trade, tax and anti-dumping issues affecting the international hardwood, plywood and veneer flooring industry," according to the lobby disclosure.
In an interview Thursday, Hoekstra rejected the idea that his work for the Chinese company conflicted with his position against China's involvement in the battery factory planned for the outskirts of Big Rapids.
Hoeksta said the lumber company wasn't seeking large sums of taxpayer money and the situation between the U.S. and China was different in 2013 than it is now, as the two countries compete for power in the electric vehicle industry.
"It was wood flooring," Hoekstra said of his lobbying, which he said he did for the company for less than a year.
Supporters of the Gotion project have described it as a game-changing investment and the "biggest ever economic development project in Northern Michigan." Gotion plans to bring a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery parts facility to Mecosta County's Green Township and an estimated 2,350 jobs.
Overall, the project is slated to receive more than $800 million in taxpayer incentives. Hoekstra has said the incentives for the project amounted to putting money in the pockets of the Chinese Community Party.
Gotion was founded in China in 2006, but its U.S. subsidiary has been incorporated in California since 2014. Volkswagen AG owns about 26% of the company.
In a statement, political consultant Jeff Timmer of the group Accountable Michigan called Hoekstra a hypocrite.
Timmer's group said Hoekstra's actions showed he "cashed in, making a small fortune representing a Chinese company directly connected to the Chinese Communist Party."
Dickstein Shapiro reported $30,000 in income from representing Zhejiang Dehua TB Import & Export Co. in 2013. Hoekstra was hired to be a senior adviser at Dickstein Shapiro in 2011.
"Hoekstra lobbied for a company tied to the CCP (Chinese Community Party) that helped kill American jobs," Timmer said. "He’s no friend to Michigan. He’s just another opportunist looking for the next paycheck, regardless of who pays the price."
Hoekstra served as former President Donald Trump's ambassador to The Netherlands from 2018 to 2021.
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