China has been pressuring GM to hand over proprietary EV technology that is in the Volt in order for the Volt in China to qualify for a tax incentive that is equal to $19,000. GM has agreed to deepen it’s cooperation with it’s partner in China but has declined to hand over assets relating to the Volt. US lawmakers say that what China is doing is the equivalent of a shake down. From Fox News:

U.S. lawmakers have complained that China is shaking down GM to get the technology that drives the Chevrolet Volt electric car. GM plans to start selling the Volt in China by the end of the year, but its prospects are iffy because it doesn’t qualify for a Chinese government subsidy that amounts to $19,000 per car. The government offers the subsidy only to electric cars made in China.

Lawmakers contend such requirements are unfair and may violate world trade rules.

While a GM spokesman tells a different story:

But GM spokesman Jay Cooney in Detroit said the company has not been pressured by the Chinese government to share the Volt technology and has no plans to share it. He said GM is working with the Chinese government in an effort to get the subsidy for the Volt because it helps reach a government goal of getting more electric vehicles on the road.
The cooperation agreement was signed during a meeting of the U.S. automaker’s board in Shanghai — a visit underscoring China’s importance to the company’s future. It was the GM board’s first meeting outside of the U.S.