LANSING, Mich. — Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, issued the following statement in response to Thursday’s announcement by Michigan Economic Development Corporation officials that the Chinese Communist Party-linked Gotion plant project near Big Rapids will not move forward with the backing of state incentives:

“The plug should have been pulled on this farce long ago. From the very beginning, this reckless project lacked transparency, undermined the trust of Michigan taxpayers and raised serious national security concerns.

“This scheme should have never even happened. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s a bad idea to make dangerous deals with our nation’s adversaries. The people of Michigan deserve leaders who will work for the economic prosperity of our state, not ones who give away tax dollars to foreign corporations.”