Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, has sent a formal letter to Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., one of the world's leading automotive glass manufacturers with its U.S. headquarters in Ohio. The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, demands extensive documentation about the company's business operations in the United States, its labor practices, and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Khanna cited serious allegations that Fuyao has been violating U.S. labor laws, including importing foreign workers to undercut American labor. «They have serious allegations against them of suppressing prices because they're being subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party, allegedly, of bringing people into this country who are undocumented and violating our immigration laws, and then exploiting those workers and having them work long hours with little pay,» Khanna told Fox News Digital.
The letter follows a 2024 federal raid on Fuyao's Ohio properties that resulted in a civil asset forfeiture of $126 million. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seized luxury goods, vehicles, and 12 commercial and residential properties, including what the DOJ described as «boarding houses» used to accommodate migrant workers. According to the DOJ, many of the workers were allegedly smuggled into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and encouraged to travel to the Dayton area to work at Fuyao's factories. Most of the workers are of Chinese or Hispanic nationality. The DOJ said in a press release that workers lived at «family style hotels» owned by the target entities and were driven to and from work in transportation provided by those entities.
Khanna's letter requests data on whether Fuyao is being subsidized by the CCP, which would allow the company to undercut U.S. competitors. He argued that American glass manufacturers are being negatively affected by Fuyao's practices. «They are hurting. American glass manufacturers, one of them that we met on our Heartland tour in Western Pennsylvania. And they are putting American workers out of business,» Khanna said. He added that the DOJ has not yet released the findings of its investigation, and he intends to pursue the matter through the China Committee.
The DOJ confirmed in a 2025 press release that a criminal investigation into Fuyao is ongoing. Khanna also asked the company to reveal the degree of CCP involvement in its operations. «We need to understand a lot more. I want to understand whether they're getting subsidies from the CCP. I want to understand whether any CCP government official is on their board or on their executive team,» he said. «I want to understand if they're providing reports to the CCP, I want to understand if the CCP is helping them to lower prices where they can undercut American competition. And I certainly want to know if the CCP is helping them smuggle in people who are undocumented.»
Like all Chinese companies, Fuyao is required to have a CCP representative in its company ranks. The company's vice president, He Shimeng, is also a CCP secretary, according to the Made In China Journal. Khanna's letter also focuses on Fuyao's alleged union-busting efforts. The company was the subject of the 2019 Netflix documentary «American Factory,» which captured Fuyao's takeover of a former General Motors plant in Moraine, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. The film highlighted Fuyao's million-dollar effort to crush local unions, with founder Cao Dewang paying consultants over a million dollars to lecture workers on the horrors of unions.
Khanna's letter asks directly: «What is Fuyao's reasoning for its opposition to unionization efforts at facilities in the United States?» When asked about the role of border security in Fuyao's ability to import foreign workers, Khanna acknowledged the need for a secure border but strongly disagreed with ICE raids. «As an American, we should be outraged that you have a Chinese-funded company that is undercutting American jobs, potentially exploiting workers, and potentially breaking our immigration laws,» he said. «So I am going to make sure that we stand up for American workers and for our laws.»
