An executive at an American subsidiary of a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) firm made significant donations to the election campaign for Joe Biden—and later Kamala Harris—after her company received financial backing from the U.S. government. Ke Li, president of BYD Americas, contributed $33,400 to what was originally the Biden Victory Fund, now renamed the Harris Victory Fund. Additionally, Li made two $3,300 donations to the Biden campaign, now the Harris campaign.
BYD Americas is one of the primary beneficiaries of the Inflation Reduction Act‘s electric vehicle tax credit, despite the Biden-Harris government’s insistence that the subsidy is meant to boost American EV production. In addition, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) awarded BYD a nearly $1 billion no-bid contract for masks during the coronavirus pandemic despite the company’s lack of background in manufacturing protective equipment at the time. As shown by state records, Li contributed $50,000 to Newsom’s gubernatorial campaigns in 2018 and 2022.
A subsidiary of the Chinese-based and owned multinational BYD Company, BYD Americas doesn’t actually sell passenger cars in the United States. Instead, its primary Western markets include Latin America and Europe. The American subsidiary aims to open a new manufacturing plant in Mexico by 2026 that will produce 150,000 electric cars a year. Despite being subsidized by U.S. taxpayers, these cars will mostly be sold in Latin American markets and not in the U.S.
BYD Company is involved with China’s Belt and Road Initiative and receives subsidies from the Chinese government. Concerns over espionage led Congress to investigate BYD and other Chinese vehicle manufacturers earlier this year.
