China's largest machinery maker Sany Group said on Thursday that it will "fight to the very end" in its lawsuit against United States President Barack Obama, after the president blocked a wind farm project citing national security concerns.
"This is the perfect illustration of our confidence in the US legal system, as well as our firm belief that there is no such threat posed to US national security of any kind, and there will never be," said Wu Jialiang, deputy general manager of the Sany Group and CEO of Ralls Corp.
"If in the end Sany wins this lawsuit, it would be a true triumph of the US legal system, for it will be viewed as the best demonstration for the world to know that the US is indeed a country where legitimate investments will be protected by the Constitution regardless of where they come from," he said.
Ralls Corp, an associated company of the Sany Group established in August 2010, has invested in a series of wind power projects in the US in recent years.
Obama ordered Ralls to divest its interests in a wind turbine project in Oregon, the first time since 1990 that a US president has formally blocked a business transaction on security grounds.
Ralls was installing wind turbines made by Sany close to a naval training site in Oregon, which, according to the facility's web site, is used to test unmanned drones — a highly sensitive and prized US technology, Reuters reported.
Tim Xia, an attorney representing Ralls, acknowledged that the case will be tough.
"It's really difficult to win the case. However, I believe that in a society governed by the rule of law, nobody can be above the Constitution of the United States, not even the president, even in the name of national security," Xia said.
Previous reports
Chinese-owned firm sues Obama over wind farm project