Critic of Chinese battery plant in Michigan once lobbied for Chinese lumber company

LANSING, Mich. — Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, one of the most vocal critics of the push to bring a Chinese battery manufacturer's plant to Northern Michigan, lobbied a decade ago on behalf of a Chinese lumber and plywood company. In public statements and media appearances, Hoekstra has railed against Gotion Inc.'s project in the Big Rapids area and has emphasized the threat he believes China poses to the U.S. The former Republican congressman and U.S. ambassador to The Netherlands also has been listed as a member of the board of directors for the Mecosta Environmental Security Alliance, whi...