Catenaa, Saturday, February 14, 2026- Ford Motor CEO has spoken to senior Trump administration officials about a potential framework in which Chinese automakers could build cars in US with protection for domestic companies.

Quoting sources, Bloomberg said that the idea discussed by Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley and Trump cabinet members last month involved Chinese carmakers partnering with US companies through joint ventures in which the American company holds a controlling stake.

The ventures would be structured so that both the Chinese and US partners would share profits and technology in the JV, the report said.

No decision has been made on the matter, and the discussion was characterized by the people as informal and preliminary.

Such a setup would be a mirror image of what China required of Western automakers three decades ago, when they had to partner with Chinese carmakers to set up factories in that country.

The discussions, which haven’t been previously reported, come as China’s automakers move ever closer to America’s doorstep.

Canada’s government recently announced a plan to allow some Chinese EVs into the country, while BYD vehicles are becoming commonplace on streets in Mexico.

Farley discussed the matter with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin when they visited the Detroit Auto Show last month, the report said.

The discussion took place days after President Donald Trump indicated that he’d be open to allowing Chinese automakers into the US if they built plants and hired Americans, saying “let China come in” during a January 13 speech at the Detroit Economic Club.

Ford said Farley gave the cabinet secretaries a tour of the Ford stand at the auto show and that they “discussed a variety of industry topics,” but declined to reveal specifics.