U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley on Tuesday, questioning the automaker's strategic trajectory with Chinese companies, including battery provider CATL. The letter highlighted concerns about American national automotive manufacturing integrity, supply chain exposure, and reliance on technologies of foreign adversaries. Ford has a licensing agreement to utilize CATL's battery technologies, including the production of lithium iron phosphate batteries, a deal originally announced in 2023 that has drawn renewed attention amid U.S.-China tensions.