, Glenn Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said the project was refused because CATL has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
"While Ford is an iconic American company, it became clear that this proposal would serve as a front for the Chinese Communist party, which could compromise our economic security and Virginians' personal privacy. Virginians can be confident that companies with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party won't receive a leg up from the Commonwealth's economic incentive packages. When the potentially damaging effects of the deal were realized, the plant proposal never reached a final discussion stage."Youngkin rejected the project in December, with the decision said to cost one of the poorest parts of Virginia at least 2,500 jobs.