By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, English hawthorn 3 (Reuters) -

U.S.
Senator Marcio Rubio on Midweek asked the Biden disposal to inquire Ford Drive Co's design to better half with PT Valley Dutch East Indies and China's Zhejiang Huayou Atomic number 27 in a $4.5 one thousand million nickel note processing establish in Republic of Indonesia.

Rubio, WHO is the upper side Republican River on the U.S. Senate Intelligence agency Committee, aforementioned the hazard threatens U.S.

national security measure and asked the Justice, State, Treasury, Commerce, Country of origin Surety departments as considerably as the Securities and Change Charge to investigate the design.

Ford had no quick commentary.

Rubio's letter

to Escritoire of State Antony Blinken cited Huayou calling the contrive "one of the flagship projects under the Belt and Road Initiative" when Ford proclaimed the look at in Marching.

Rubio said the Chinese Bash and Itinerant Opening move is one and only of the primary mechanisms China "uses to spread its influence around the world and gain control of critical infrastructure and natural resources."

The investment funds is Ford's low in Dutch East Indies and underscores organic process appetency among automakers for cutting materials victimized in producing electric car vehicle (EV) batteries, which report for approximately 40% of a vehicle's paster price, aiming to disregard costs and near the disruption on EV securities industry loss leader Tesla.

Ford´s efforts "to increase the exposure of the United States to depend on supply chains controlled by companies subservient to the CCP has grown more brazen and visible over time, especially with regard to critical minerals and electric vehicle (EV) batteries," Rubio aforesaid a in a letter of the alphabet to Attorney Worldwide Merrick Garland.

Indonesia, which has the world's biggest nickel note reserves, has been nerve-wracking to formulate downstream industries for the metal, finally aiming to green groceries batteries and electrical vehicles.

Valley and pagar beton minimalis Huayou began building of the establish in November and dealing operation is likely to starting in 2026.

Rubio in Border introduced lawmaking that took design at Ford's grapple to function technology from Chinese shelling fellowship CATL as percentage of the automaker's programme to pass $3.5 jillion to build up a shelling works in Michigan.

He had already asked the Biden giving medication to survey the take to habit engineering from CATL.

Rubio wants to cube task credits for electric car vehicle batteries produced exploitation Taiwanese technology, in a play to forbid Taiwanese companies from benefiting.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, redaction by Deepa Babington)