BYD batteries in Ford vehicles: China deepens asymmetric Western dependence on Chinese critical technologies

On January 15, 2026, it became known about negotiations between the American auto giant Ford and the Chinese company BYD regarding the supply of batteries for vehicles.

The negotiations have a pragmatic dimension for the American automaker–the curtailment of the strategy for developing electric vehicles in favor of hybrids requires stable access to batteries, and BYD remains one of the few manufacturers capable of quickly scaling supplies.

For Ford, these negotiations are a rational production decision, but in a broader context, the purchase of Chinese batteries by American companies signals a problem of technological dependence, control over data, and vulnerability of Western infrastructure to China.

It is this aspect that provoked a harsh reaction from Donald Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro, who publicly criticized the potential agreements between Ford and BYD, emphasizing the risks of strategic vulnerability.