Henniges Automotive, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan is a company producing anti-vibration components and encapsulated glass systems.[1] The company was founded in 1863.[2]
In 2015, Henniges Automotives was acquired by AVIC Automotive Systems Holding Co Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of China’s state-owned aerospace and defence conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).[3] Henniges called the deal “one of the largest acquisitions by a Chinese company of a U.S.-based automotive manufacturing company in history.”[4]
In August 2019, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has called on the Treasury Department to investigate CFIUS’s 2015 approval of AVIC’s acquisition of Henniges,[5][6][7] which, since the acquisition, has opened plants in Suzhou, China; Prudnik, Poland and a European headquarters in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.[8] The state-run AVIC was involved in stealing sensitive data regarding the Joint Strike Fighter program and later incorporated the stolen data into China’s Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31 fighters.[9][10][11] In 2020, President Donald Trump told a rally at MBS International Airport that Hunter Biden “facilitated the sale of a Michigan automotive company to a leading Chinese military defense contractor.”[8]
^ “Company Overview of Henniges Automotive North America, Inc”. bloomberg.com.
^ “Henniges is acquired by China’s AVIC Auto”. Sealing Technology. 2015 (11): 4–5. November 2015. doi:10.1016/S1350-4789(15)30341-X.
^ “Henniges Automotive acquired by China’s AVIC Automotive”. Automotive News. September 11, 2015.
^ “Grassley, invoking ‘Uranium One,’ probes Biden-linked sale of sensitive tech company to China”. Fox News. August 15, 2019.
^ “Senator wants inquiry into whether “conflict of interest” led to US approval of deal involving Chinese state company and Joe Biden’s son”. Yahoo News. August 16, 2019.
^ “Grassley Raises Concerns Over Obama Admin Approval of U.S. Tech Company Joint Sale to Chinese Government and Investment Firm Linked to Biden, Kerry Families”. Senate Committee on Finance. August 15, 2019.
^ a b “Trump slams Biden son for buying Michigan auto firm with Chinese, Bridge Michigan”. www.bridgemi.com. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
^ “Stolen F-35 secrets now showing up in China’s stealth fighter”. Fox News. 20 December 2015.
^ “New Snowden Documents Reveal Chinese Behind F-35 Hack”. The Diplomat. 27 January 2015.
^ “America says China’s fifth-generation jet fighter J-31 stolen from its F-35”. The Economic Times. 13 November 2015.