Senator Sherrod Brown opposes Biden’s trade pick over ties to Chinese glass company he promoted

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) spoke out against President Biden’s selection as deputy U.S. trade representative, in part because of work the candidate’s lobbying firm did for a Chinese glass company, a even though Brown celebrated the purchase of an Ohio factory by that same company. a decade ago.

The White House announced on January 11 that Nelson Cunningham had been appointed to oversee the administration’s trade policy for the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, labor and the environment, pending Senate confirmation.

On Jan. 24, Brown issued a strongly worded statement calling on Biden to “nominate someone” who would “stand on the side of Ohio workers.”

The 71-year-old criticized Cunningham for having supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership and his firm, McLarty Associates, for having “focused on lobbying for foreign interests, including lobbying for Chinese company Fuyao Glass beginning in 2019.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) opposes President Biden’s selection as deputy U.S. trade representative over his company’s lobbying work for a Chinese glass company that Brown previously celebrated. AP The White House announced on January 11 that Nelson Cunningham had been appointed to oversee administrative policy, pending Senate confirmation. Facebook

“My values ​​have always been clear: I will only support business candidates who have rejected the failed policies of the past and have a demonstrated record of standing on the side of workers,” the senator said.

“We should not have anyone leading our trade policy advocating for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have been a terrible deal for Ohio workers,” Brown added. “The TPP was drafted by corporations behind closed doors, lacked enforceable labor and monetary standards, and would have undermined the American automotive supply chain.”

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But the Ohio Democrat praised the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese auto safety glass maker Fuyao Glass America for purchasing a former General Motors plant in 2014, calling the move “great news for the city of Moraine and residents of the Miami Valley. “

On Jan. 24, Brown issued a strongly worded statement calling on Biden to “nominate someone” who would “stand on the side of Ohio workers.” AFP via Getty Images

Brown boasted that he secured more than $25 million in federal grants to redevelop the factory site after the 2008 recession with the help of a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate firm.

That company, Industrial Realty Group, sold parts of the plant to several companies between 2012 and 2014, and Fuyao became the anchor tenant after purchasing 1.4 million square feet for $15 million in May 2014, according to the Dayton Daily News.

One of the company’s executives also told the outlet that Fuyao President Cao Dewang, who became a deputy to the National People’s Congress in Beijing, was attracted to the Ohio plant because of its “good condition.”

One of the company’s executives also told the outlet that Fuyao President Cao Dewang was attracted to the Ohio plant because of its “good condition.” google maps

Fuyao ultimately invested $450 million in the factory (its largest purchase ever in Ohio) and Brown spoke at the plant’s grand opening in October 2016.

“We worked together at all levels of government (federal, state, local) to breathe new life into this historic plant and support approximately 2,000 new jobs,” he said in a statement at the time. “This is how we create the manufacturing jobs of the future.”

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In his statement opposing Cunningham, Brown blamed Fuyao for his “anti-union activities in Dayton” that were made public in the 2019 Netflix documentary “American Factory,” but the film also reveals the company’s extensive influence campaign for of Beijing on American workers.

The Chinese auto glass maker ultimately invested $450 million in the factory (its largest purchase to date in Ohio) and Brown spoke at the plant’s grand opening in October 2016. Fuyao Glass

One scene shows the company’s Chinese employees at a seminar discussing how to “leverage American characteristics to make them work for Fuyao,” noting that they tend to be “overconfident.”

“We need to use our wisdom to guide and help them because we are better than them,” the seminar leader says bluntly.

“No one has been more aggressive in standing up to corporations that exploit Ohio workers than Sherrod Brown,” a spokesperson for his office told The Post. “Brown publicly challenged Fuyao to allow his workers to organize a union at the company’s 2016 grand opening in Dayton.”

One scene shows the company’s Chinese employees at a seminar discussing how to “leverage American characteristics to get them to work for Fuyao.” Youtube

“When Fuyao engaged in union busting, it aggressively and publicly held the company accountable for failing its workers,” the representative added. “Sherrod knows Ohio has the best workers in the world and will call out any company that illegally fights for their right to organize.”

Cunningham, who never personally lobbied for Fuyao, according to Senate disclosures, made a maximum donation of $3,300 to Brown’s 2024 re-election campaign last year.

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Cunningham previously served as special advisor to President Bill Clinton and before that as general counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden.

Brown’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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