Sen. Shirkey secretly profits from China while posing as a hawk and fighting transparency

(Detroit Metro Times) After Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey recovered from COVID-19 in January, he blamed the pandemic on China.

“The Chinese flu army sent in one of their best soldiers,” the Clarklake Republican said on “The Bart Hawley Show” on JTV. “His name was Rona. I’m not as young as I used to be, so he and I wrestled for nine days, but I finally pinned him.”

The tasteless quip drew strong criticism from Democrats and Chinese Americans, who admonished Shrikey for fanning the flames of racism and xenophobia. Over the past year, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased by nearly 150%, according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.

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But as Shirkey poses as a China hawk, he’s quietly profiting from the country, Metro Times has learned.

Shirkey is the founder and owner of Orbitform, an engineering company that builds assembly machines for manufacturers.

The machines are sold in China by OCS Automation Technologies Co., which registered as a limited liability company with the Chinese government in 2018. According to the company’s website, OCS stands for Orbitform’s China Sales. The company exclusively sells Orbitform machines and equipment to Chinese manufacturers. The equipment is used for auto parts, medical supplies, and industrial automation, according to a translated version of the company’s website. ..........(more)

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