Pontiac Times

Mike Gallagher, former U.S. representative of Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, expressed concerns about the United States' reliance on China-made batteries, solar panels, and related hardware. He suggested that this dependence could lead to hidden vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Gallagher made these remarks on X.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China controls over 80% of the global manufacturing capacity across all key stages of the solar photovoltaic supply chain, including polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules. The IEA executive summary indicates that this concentration has led most countries to rely on Chinese suppliers for solar panels and components such as inverters. The report highlights that these dependencies impact the structure and resilience of national energy systems where such hardware is used.

HRone, referencing data from BloombergNEF, reports that Chinese companies made significant investments in global clean technology manufacturing in 2024, especially in sectors like batteries and solar panels. According to BloombergNEF, China's share of the battery manufacturing market remains substantial, with companies like CATL expanding their presence both domestically and internationally. This trend results in a higher proportion of clean technology components being produced by Chinese firms for export worldwide.

Reuters confirmed in July 2023 that two US House committees were investigating Ford’s relationship with CATL, citing bipartisan concern about Chinese Communist Party influence in US energy and manufacturing. The focus of the investigation was to assess whether the partnership could provide the CCP leverage over critical domestic technologies. The committees’ actions reflected intent to limit CATL’s involvement in battery production. 

Gallagher is a distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute and serves as head of defense at Palantir Technologies. He represented Wisconsin’s Eighth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2024, where he chaired the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party and played a leading role in cybersecurity and national security policy. Before his time in Congress, Dr. Gallagher served as a Marine Corps intelligence officer and received multiple awards for his bipartisan leadership on national security issues.